


Wasting Your Honor

by tiniestawoo



Series: I could never give you peace [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Scott McCall (Teen Wolf), Child sex abuse, Courtroom Drama, Legal Drama, M/M, Panic Attacks, Police, Police Misconduct, Police abuse of power, Prostitute Theo Raeken, Rape Recovery, Rape is in the past/mentions of, Sex Work, Sex Worker Theo Raeken, do not take legal advice from this fic I'm a chemist, no rape between main pairing, there will probably be more tags to come but that's a start, vague and improper use of legal terminology
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:07:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 26,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26213122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiniestawoo/pseuds/tiniestawoo
Summary: “Do you trust me?” Scott asked softly, nudging Theo’s shoulder with his own.“You? Yes.” Theo turned to Scott with narrowed grey eyes. “It’s him I don’t trust.”“I don’t blame you,” Scott chuckled, reaching up to rest his hand against the middle of Theo’s back, half to comfort the obviously wary chimera, and half to keep Theo from turning and running.Old habits die hard, it would seem.--Or, Scott does his best to help Theo navigate the aftermath of his arrest and what happened at the police station that night. This includes calling in a years-old favor.
Relationships: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Scott McCall/Theo Raeken
Series: I could never give you peace [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1869178
Comments: 75
Kudos: 119





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome back to the "I could never give you peace" universe!
> 
> This fic series was supposed to be like 5k words of Sex Worker Theo, but then once again, I got sucked down the rabbit hole of "how to take a trope and make it MORE angsty" and now we're fucking here.
> 
> I am so in love with these two in this fic. My confidence in writing Scott (and Theo, to an extent) has skyrocketed from the love y'all have shown me in this series.
> 
> Current plan is to post one chapter a week, but that's contingent on me finishing the next chapter. So, for now, here's chapter 1. chapter 2 will hopefully be posted next Monday, assuming I can get chapter 3 written and chapter 2 beta'd. The current plot has 7 chapters planned.
> 
> Best bet: keep an eye on my [Tumblr!](https://tiniestawoo.tumblr.com/) for more info. I tend to post pretty regularly there about where I'm at in the writing process.

Scott couldn’t seem to stop his knee from bouncing under the desk as he tried to take notes. His phone, resting under his left hand, hadn’t shown any new notifications since he’d gotten to class. For all intents and purposes that was a _good_ thing. It still didn’t help him feel any more focused on the TA’s review of the material for his Biology II final next week. 

This morning before class, he’d dropped Theo off at his truck, stashed in an alley in downtown San Francisco. Theo had to report to the courthouse for his arraignment, and then Scott had given him his apartment key so he could go back there. Running a hand through his hair, he drew in a long breath and glanced up at the powerpoint, hastily scribbling down notes about genetic mutations before the TA moved on.

With five minutes left in class, the screen of Scott’s phone finally lit up with a text from Theo. _Back **.**_

It shocked Scott that a single word suddenly made it so much easier to breathe. A part of him – apparently larger than he’d realized – had expected Theo to disappear. That was, after all, what he did best. He’d done it in fourth grade, he’d done briefly it after they’d defeated the Wild Hunt, and he’d done it again after they’d won the battle against Monroe. Scott had every reason to believe he’d do it again, and every reason to be glad he hadn’t.

“Okay. That’s all we have time for today. Remember that we’ll cover the back half of the material on Wednesday, and then you have a week til the final! If you’re struggling with any of this, email me. I will do my best to get back to you!” The TA closed the lid of her laptop with a click and the display screen went dark. 

Scott had no idea what had been on the last slide. 

As soon as he packed up his things and headed for the exit, he scrolled to Theo’s name in his contacts and called. 

Theo answered on the second ring. “Yeah?” 

“How did it go?”

“I got ROR’d – uh, released on my own recognizance – but they’re going through with the prosecution instead of dropping it.”

“What? Why? We looked it up; they almost never prosecute first offenses!” 

They had spent most of the weekend trying to see how much the legal process for an adult prostitution charge compared to what Theo remembered from a few years ago. When Theo had been fifteen and sixteen, he’d worked the streets of San Francisco, and had been arrested a few times for prostitution then as well. That had been the extent of what Theo had been willing to share about the events at the police precinct and his subsequent breakdown. Scott hadn’t pushed him for more. After copious research, they’d learned that his record as a minor shouldn’t impact the current charges. 

“The cop.” Scott could hear the clench in Theo’s jaw as he spoke. “From the jail. Apparently he told the DA that I admitted to it, and offered to…” The hesitation made Scott’s heart sink, but he knew what was missing from the statement.

“Did you?” Scott asked, keeping his tone even. Theo _clearly_ judged himself enough. He didn’t need it from Scott too. The alpha pressed the phone against his ear, leaning against the building his next class was in. 

“I didn’t _offer_ ,” Theo spat. 

Pieces clicked together in Scott’s head. “He made you.” He stared at the ground, the haze of his vision telling him his eyes were red.

Theo’s silence was telling. Scott let it ring out for a few beats, mulling over his words. He sucked in a breath and the color faded from his vision. “I have one more class today, then I’ll come back to the apartment and we can go get some food, okay?” Scott tried to keep his voice warm, light, even though his heart was anything but. “Or, if you’re hungry, there’s the stuff we bought on Sunday. If Freddie shows up just tell him you’re my friend. Just, stay put. We’ll figure this out, alright?” 

“Scott, you’ve done enough.”

“Just ‘til I get back from campus, okay? If you...if you really wanna go later, obviously I can’t stop you. But just, at least let me say goodbye?” 

“Okay.” Theo’s voice came out somewhere between a sigh and a huff, but it was all the confirmation Scott needed. 

“See you soon.” Scott hung up the phone and leaned back against the building, exhaling a long breath.

He didn’t want to go to class. At least, having spoken to Theo, he would have a better chance of focusing on this class than he had his Bio class. Doubt and anxiety stirred in his gut, a part of him sure that when he finally got back home, Theo would be long gone. 

Once again he yearned to call for help, but his options were limited. He’d had to mute text notifications from Stiles for the last thirty six hours, and he’d even started to get a few concerned messages from Lydia. The only message from Derek had thankfully just confirmed that he got the money Scott sent back. It was only a matter of time before Stiles said something to Noah, who would say something to his mother who was just about the only person Scott _couldn’t_ ignore right now.

He needed to ask for help from someone who wouldn’t judge him (like his father), or judge Theo on his past or the charge itself (like Noah or Chris). He needed someone well versed in legal trouble. 

There was one person he could think of that fit all of those criteria, and, if he was honest with himself, that person owed Scott. Scott didn’t like holding things over people’s heads, but if the last few days with Theo had done anything it had dredged up painful memories of the past. Scott _had_ been hurt, he’d been used and he’d been taken advantage of long before Theo came into the picture. He’d forgiven a lot of the transgressions against him, but that didn't mean he’d forgotten them.

Scott knew that taking a life in response to attempts on his own wouldn’t fix anything. Even if that person deserved it. Even if that person had taken plenty of lives all on their own. And it certainly wouldn’t undo the pain he’d been caused. He’d done his best to find a balance, to find justice. And that was what he wanted for Theo. (And maybe a little retribution, if he was honest with himself.)

Scrolling through his contacts he stopped on a name, glancing up away from his phone to watch a pair of students toss a frisbee across the green. Friday, Scott had still been trying to be like them, a normal, carefree college student. Someone that had nothing to worry about besides finishing prep for his finals and picking out his classes for the summer. He’d even briefly considered a summer job. 

Today, he was the True Alpha again, and it had been a surprisingly seamless switch. The role – that he’d never asked for – came with stress and responsibilities, but it also came with pack and community. He’d felt less lonely in the last three days than he had his entire first year of college. 

For all the things being a werewolf, _an Alpha_ , had taken from him, he couldn’t deny that stepping back into that role felt right. Being a werewolf had been forced on him, but he’d become an Alpha all on his own, and he felt more at home in that role than he ever would pretending to be someone he wasn’t.

He steadied himself and hit send, bringing the phone back up to his ear and waiting for the person on the other end of the line to pick up.

“Scott McCall. You certainly weren’t on the list of expected Monday morning phone calls.” 

Scott kicked at the ground and fought back the urge to roll his eyes. “I need your help, Peter.”

\--

Scott had just gotten back to where he’d parked his car when his phone rang. Without checking the caller ID he answered it, tucking it between his shoulder and ear as he dug for his keys. “Hello?”

“So.”

Scott froze, pulling the phone away from his ear to look at the caller ID. “Did you really call me from _Derek’s_ phone just so I would pick up.”

“Well, seeing as you’ve been _ignoring me_.”

“Oh, yes, Stiles, how dare I _not_ listen to you lecture me about my choices when it comes to someone you openly hate,” Scott scoffed. He finally got the car unlocked and climbed inside, tossing his bag to the passenger seat. The scent of Theo in the car was still strong from their ride back from San Francisco. Scott’s anxiety peaked, between worry for Theo and worry about his pack’s response to the situation, and his finals, he had a lot on his plate.

“I have your best interest at heart, Scotty, really.”

“Are you sure? Just, for the record, Stiles, I do have a father. And I’m pretty sure Chris is gonna propose to mom any day now, so I don’t need _lectures_ from my best friend.”

“I don’t _lecture_ you, Scott. I inform you. Like I’m going to inform you that I know what Theo got arrested for.” 

Scott gripped the steering wheel so tightly he was sure he’d left dents. “How do you know that?” 

“Arrest records are public in the State of California. Prostitution, Scott? Really? You bailed him out on a prostitution charge? Did he uh, _pay you back_ for your time and effort?” 

The way Stiles said it sent a cold chill down Scott’s spine. Memories of Theo curled up between Scott’s legs mixed with Theo shaking on the bed, begging a nameless person to _stop._ It turned Scott’s stomach. He clenched his hand on the phone, very aware that gripping it any harder would crack the screen. “No,” he ground out. “I can’t talk to you about this right now. There’s so much more going on here, and I don’t…” he hesitated. ‘ _I don’t trust you not to use it against him,’_ was on the tip of his tongue.

“You don’t what, Scott?” Stiles’s voice had gone quiet, and it only made what Scott thought about saying – while it was true – feel worse.

“It’s not my story to tell,” Scott decided on, sighing. “I have to go. I have finals to study for.”

“What kind of sob story did he spin you this time? He’s a con artist, Scott. You can’t fall for it again.”

Scott remembered the horror in Theo’s eyes, the fragility in his voice, the fear in his scent. He remembered the way he’d clung to Scott the last two nights. “He’s not lying to me.” 

“I really hope you’re right, buddy. Good luck with finals.” The call ended and Scott threw the phone at his passenger seat, running his other hand through his hair and tugging lightly at the strands. The problem was that, at one point in time, _Stiles had been right._ Theo had been conning them all. He’d been using and hurting them and he’d nearly killed Scott.

But somehow, _that_ Theo felt a million years away from the fragile, broken person waiting for Scott to return to his apartment. Scott knew that Stiles meant well, but he was thousands of miles away, judging someone based on behavior from nearly two years ago. Scott was _dying_ to tell someone, anyone about the situation, to have someone tell him if his instincts were right, if he was putting the right pieces of the puzzle together.

Usually, his puzzlemaster was Stiles. Usually, he could trust his best friend to help him make the right decisions. 

But, not about this. Not about Theo. Not until Stiles had seen for himself – if he could choke down his hatred long enough to actually look – that there was more to this than just a con.

\--

The last few days had been a dramatic counterpoint from the weeks and months that had preceded them. Theo couldn’t remember – didn’t want to remember? – the last time he’d had somewhere safe to sleep. After his breakdown on Friday evening, the two of them had just stayed in the apartment; ordering dinner on Saturday night and then grocery shopping on Sunday. Grocery shopping. Like they were _normal_.

Theo couldn’t miss his court date on Monday, though. The arraignment hearing. His public defender didn’t look that much older than he was, and had taken one look at Theo – dressed in his freshly washed but still much too tight jeans, wearing a T-shirt and hoodie of Scott’s like the clothes could protect him from the demons – nodded and asked, “So, are you guilty or not guilty?”

Theo resisted the urge to growl and shrugged. “Does it matter?” 

“I mean, if you just plead guilty, you’re looking at six months at most in county, maybe a fine? We both get this over with faster.” 

Theo stared at the ground. Six months in a county jail might have seemed like a vacation last week, but now, the idea of _leaving_ the first place he’d felt safe in _years_ made him want to be sick. “And what if I don’t plead guilty?”

The public defender sighed, flipping through the file in her hand. “You have a shot at getting off. Were you on camera? Do you have a pimp that they can convince to testify against you? Prior arrests for this?”

Theo glanced up at her, “Three arrests, but all under the age of seventeen. No pimp. I don’t think there were any cameras.” 

She clicked her tongue, “Those arrests could be a problem. I’ll give it a shot if you want to go not guilty, but I can’t make any promises.”

Very few people, Theo knew from experience, could make any kind of promise worth keeping anyway.

An hour later, he’d been released on his own recognizance with a court date, orders not to leave the county (which he was going to _immediately_ break to go back to Scott’s apartment) and a new feeling of dread in his stomach. His lawyer had warned him that his past might be a problem. He’d not considered the fact that they could take the skeevy officer’s word over his. But, he was a nineteen-year-old homeless prostitute, so really, that had been a pretty significant oversight on his part.

He parked in a visitor’s spot at Scott’s complex and climbed out of the truck, stretching and looking up at the building for a moment before glancing at the things in the back seat of his truck. His computer had been dead for a month now, he’d just stopped bothering to charge it. It had taken a good portion of his earnings to keep gas in the truck and to keep his phone on. Things like laundry and showers hadn’t really been high on his priority list. 

He glanced at the dirty clothing scattered around the truck and decided to leave it, hefting his backpack over his shoulder and heading inside. The laundry could wait. Scott seemed to not mind Theo wearing his clothes. Theo had spent the weekend bundled into various items of Scott’s clothing, and the alpha hadn’t voiced a single complaint.

Scott sounded so damn hopeful on the phone. He sounded like there was a way out of this that didn’t involve Theo being locked up for some indeterminate amount of time and forced to pay a fine that he’d inevitably only be able to get the money for _by doing sex work_. 

He’d just put the last forty dollars he had into his truck for gas. Which meant that when he returned to Scott’s apartment, that was it. He had to go back to sex work or he had to accept Scott’s freely offered help. 

Sex work, at least, the way he’d been working before he’d been arrested, had been killing him slowly. Ever since he’d gotten pulled out of the ground to help with the ghost riders, nothing had felt the same. Now, something that used to come easy to him, that he used to take pride in (whatever _that_ said about his mental state) was so much harder. The arrest, the officer at the jail, they’d all just been slicing at barely healed wounds. 

Some parts of the work, Theo knew he’d be okay to tolerate but others – being held down, being demeaned, being touched by certain people in unpredictably certain ways, he knew he wouldn’t. 

To be honest, neither of the options were particularly palatable, but at least one of them meant he could get some actual sleep. One of them meant that when he woke up screaming in the middle of the night there were gentle hands and soft words to quiet him and help him fall back asleep. Hands that had only ever felt like comfort and safety. Hands that, despite having every right to, had never hurt him.

\--

Scott got to the front door before he realized he didn’t actually have his apartment keys to unlock the door. He raised his hand to knock, only for the door to swing open. Theo, still dressed partially in Scott’s clothes, gave Scott a half-smile and tapped his ear. “I was listening for you.” 

Scott returned the smile and stepped inside, locking the door behind himself. “Freddie never showed up?” He asked, heading for his room to drop off his own backpack. He glanced at the one that was currently occupying a corner and it brought a smile to his lips. If Theo’s stuff was here, maybe it meant he was staying. 

“I’m beginning to doubt that your roommate is even a real person.” Theo said from the doorway. Scott glanced over his shoulder to see him leaning against the door jam. “You keep saying he exists but I’ve been here for like three days and he hasn’t shown up.”

“I think he might have mentioned a girlfriend?” Scott dropped to a seat on the edge of his bed and plugged in his phone. “Are you hungry?”

Theo moved into the room, shutting the door behind him and dropping onto the far corner of Scott’s bed. “I could eat.” He reached up to rub at the back of his neck, cheeks flaring red and his other hand clenched into a fist. Scott could smell the shame and embarrassment in his scent. “I don’t uh…” he shook his head, looking away. “I spent the last bit of money I had on gas this morning.” 

Scott nodded slowly. “I think I can afford lunch, Theo.” 

“Lunch, sure, but what about the rest of it?” Theo turned to look at Scott, vulnerability in his eyes that Scott knew for a fact wouldn’t have existed days ago. “If I’m gonna stay here, with you, I’m sure you don’t want me _working_. But I don’t...that’s the only way I know how to make money.”

Scott frowned, studying Theo for a long minute. “Theo, you’re welcome to stay here, regardless of if you’re working or not. I’m not trying to tell you what you can and can’t do, okay? But….Friday you seemed really upset.”

“Such an astute observation,” Theo muttered, looking away. 

Scott could feel that this was about to go downhill, but he knew he had to take the chance he had to say this. “I could try to help you get another job if you want. One that wouldn’t...upset you as much.” 

Theo reached up with both of his hands to cover his face, and his scent had soured with shame and frustration. “Scott, I didn’t graduate high school and the last time I checked, lying and murderer didn’t look good on a resume. You think it’s gonna matter if I have a panic attack with a dick down my throat versus flipping burgers at some fast food joint? I’m fucked up, but at least I’m good at this.”

The words stung, but what stung more was the tone. The blank, emotionless way Theo talked about himself, the way he talked about what was clearly a lot of trauma and reduced it down to ‘I’m fucked up,’ as if that adequately described the situation. 

He wanted to argue that there could be lots of things that Theo would be good at, but he could see how quickly the chimera was shutting down and knew he needed to table it for the time being. The most important thing was for Theo to know he was safe with him. No matter what work he was doing. 

“Hey, no, that’s… listen. All I want is for you to be okay.” Scott got up quickly, walking around the bed so he could sit closer to Theo. He reached out, slowly enough that the chimera could move away, and gently gripped his shoulder. “If you think you can work, whatever that means for you, then that’s fine. I’m not…” Scott looked down at the ground and considered his words very carefully. “Just...be careful, please. You getting arrested again won’t make this any better. I want you to be safe, Theo, and to maybe heal from whatever it is that causes nights like Friday?”

Theo let out a hollow chuckle. “I don’t um… even know if that’s possible, but I appreciate your optimism.” His face was still pinched and frustrated. Scott slid the hand from Theo’s shoulder to the back of his neck, brushing his thumb against the soft skin there. Theo leaned (consciously or unconsciously, Scott couldn’t be sure) into his grip. “I uh, I can sleep on the couch from now on if you’d rather. Especially if I’m gonna be coming in late.”

“No,” Scott said, probably too fast. His own cheeks heated. “It’s fine. I don’t mind.”

“Okay,” Theo said, twisting his hands together in his lap. “Scott, you’ve done so much –”

“Stop that,” Scott snapped, reaching out with his other hand to cup the chimera’s jaw, running his thumb along his cheekbone. “You’re a part of my pack. You’re _important_ , Theo.” Scott wasn’t really sure when he’d made _that_ decision but it felt right to say it.

The smile – still small, still nervous, but wholly genuine – that it dragged to Theo’s lips was worth it, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I love comments and reactions! What did you think?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On to chapter 2!

The following weekend was breezy and overcast, and Scott was thankful for the sweater he’d pulled on before he and Theo left the house. He glanced beside him at the chimera, a small smile playing at his lips. Theo supposedly did have his own clothes, and Scott was fairly sure he’d even watched the chimera do a load of laundry, yet somehow he kept ending up wearing at least one piece of Scott’s clothing each day. Today it was a cardigan that Scott had no recollection of buying, but that smelled too much like himself to be Theo’s. 

“Scott you really should be studying for your exams, are you sure that we _had_ to go out for lunch today?” Theo grumbled as Scott tugged him through the door of a downtown San Francisco bistro. “Also, why are we at this bougie place? I mean..I know I’ve been _working_ but...”

Theo trailed off and Scott followed his gaze across the tastefully decorated dining room to where Peter Hale and a dark-curly haired, pale-brown skinned man were sitting. 

“Do you trust me?” Scott asked softly, nudging Theo’s shoulder with his own. 

“You? Yes.” Theo turned to Scott with narrowed grey eyes. “It’s him I don’t trust.” 

“I don’t blame you,” Scott chuckled, reaching up to rest his hand against the middle of Theo’s back, half to comfort the obviously wary chimera, and half to keep Theo from turning and running.

Old habits died hard.

“Why is he here then?” Theo hissed. 

“Because I’m paying for your lawyer. Come act like the adults you claim to be and quit bickering like children.” Peter’s voice was hardly loud enough for most of the humans to hear, but to Theo and Scott’s sensitive ears it was plenty loud enough. 

Theo’s frown grew deeper. “My _what_?” he spat.

“You said you didn’t have a lot of confidence in the public defender.” Scott said, pushing Theo towards the table. Theo allowed himself to be led despite his obvious discomfort with the situation. “So, I called in a favor.”

“I would have done it anyway, I suspect,” a lightly accented voice spoke. The man with Peter had stood up, and was smiling politely at both of them. “Peter just made the connection. Scott McCall, it’s an honor to meet you.” He held out a hand and Scott shook it. 

Scott’s eyes went wide and he glanced at Peter, who was grinning. 

“Uh, I’m just…” Scott started, uncomfortable and unsure of just how much Peter had shared with this man.

“A True Alpha.” The man whispered with a wink. “Let’s just say I lost that particular genetic lottery, but it’s a subject I’m well versed in.” He turned to Theo, “Which must make you Theo Raeken. I’d say it’s an _honor_ to meet you as well, but…” He shook Theo’s hand anyway.

Theo rolled his eyes, but grinned, “But that would be a lie, it’s okay.” 

“I’m Ari Jansen.” Ari had moved back to his seat beside Peter, dropping into it. “Peter and I were…” he turned to the side and glanced at Peter, who was pointedly inspecting his water glass. “Acquainted, before the tragedy in Beacon Hills.”

“Which one?” Theo muttered pithily. Scott elbowed him. 

“Thank you for agreeing to take the case.” Scott said brightly, reaching over to rest his hand lightly on Theo’s thigh. Again he wasn’t sure if it was for Theo’s benefit or a way to keep him in place. That was a better thought process for late at night, he found.

“Theo and I can discuss that later,” Ari said, glancing around. “Given the subject matter, I think it would be a conversation better suited to a private location.” 

“What’s the point of this then?” Theo rolled his eyes. “Scott has finals to study for.”

“The point is to have a chance to meet you,” Ari said with a kind smile. “Peter had suggested we meet at my office, but from experience, that can be intimidating.” He glanced at Peter out of the corner of his eye briefly. “Besides, the salmon here is to die for, and Peter’s paying anyway.”

“Sure, I’d love to buy everyone lunch,” Peter scoffed, but the words lacked the bite they’d normally have. Scott was surprised, just who was Ari Jansen?

Pushing the thought aside, Scott turned to Theo as Ari animatedly discussed the menu options. Peter ordered a round of mimosas that Theo and Scott were clearly too young for. Theo caught him looking and glanced to the side, his face still pinched with anxiety about the situation. Scott squeezed his thigh, giving him a bright, hopeful smile. 

\--

“So you admit that lunch was a good idea, and that Ari is a better option than your public defender?” Scott said as he unlocked the door to his apartment, grinning over his shoulder at Theo.

The lunch had concluded without major upset. Ari was clearly a kind and genuine person, which had surprised Scott, considering who he’d asked for help. He had no idea what kind of person Peter was going to be in contact with, but someone warm and friendly wasn’t what he’d been picturing. Theo had seemed at least settled by the time they were done, and Ari and Theo had a meeting set for the following Monday to discuss the next steps, and go over the case. 

“Yes Scott, you were right. Are you happy now? C’mon you’ve got finals to study for.” Theo rolled his eyes and pushed past the alpha, coming to a halt just inside the door. Scott locked it behind them and nearly ran into Theo as he did.

“Oh, you’re back.” Scott’s roommate – Freddie – said, sitting in just boxers on the living room couch, a bowl of cereal on the coffee table and re-runs of Chopped on the TV. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you had a guest.” Freddie eyed Theo warily. 

“This is Theo.” Scott said brightly. “He’s gonna be staying with me for a while.” He turned to Theo. “See, I told you the roommate was real.” 

Theo nodded slowly, his face tight again, and his scent spiking with anxiety and embarrassment. Scott turned to him, eyebrows drawn together at just how intense the chemosignals had become. When it came to describing Theo, _Shy_ wasn’t really on the list. 

“I’m just gonna…” Theo waved in the direction of Scott’s bedroom and headed in there a little too quickly, closing the door behind himself.

Scott frowned, but shook it off, turning to Freddie. “I’ve been meaning to tell you, but you weren’t home. Were you out with the uh...girlfriend?” Scott dropped onto the far corner of the couch, eyes carefully on the TV.

“Oh, we broke up.” Freddie said, reaching for his cereal, and setting it in his lap.

“That’s rough, man.” Scott waited for the host to announce who had been chopped this round before asking, “It’s cool if he stays here, right? He’s going through a rough time right now.”

“It’s uh, It’s fine. I just….” Freddie frowned and leaned close to Scott, whispering, “I think your boyfriend might be a prostitute.”

Scott’s eyes went wide, “Oh no, he’s not.” He was well aware that Theo could hear everything that was going on, even despite Freddie’s whisper. 

Freddie scoffed and leaned away from Scott. “Dude, I’ve definitely fucked him and then paid him for it. Like, recently.” 

Scott shook his head, “Oh, no, I mean…” He laughed uncomfortably, “He’s a sex worker, yeah. But he’s not my boyfriend.” He could feel his cheeks burning. He was just helping Theo out, wasn’t he? It was normal. It was a wolf thing.

Freddie glanced at Scott and nodded disbelievingly. “Sure.” 

Scott blinked a few times, and stood up from the couch. “Anyway, I gotta go study. Thanks, man.” 

Freddie just waved at Scott with his cereal spoon and turned his attention back to the TV.

Scott realized, walking towards his room, that Theo’s reactions now made a lot more sense. It was one thing for him to _tell_ Scott that he was a sex worker. Theo sort of always smelled like anxiety, like he could be tossed into a panic attack at any moment (and he probably could), but the dominant scent had been embarrassment.

Scott opened the door to his room cautiously, and found Theo sitting in Scott’s desk chair, spinning mindlessly, eyes anywhere _but_ Scott, still smelling like embarrassment and shame. He stopped spinning when Scot entered, facing away. Scott closed the door and leaned against it, debating the right words to say to ease the situation. 

Once the door was closed, Theo said, “So, I’ve been trying to figure out why your apartment smelled familiar. I thought it was just you. I’m sorry. I can go.” 

“Was he a good fuck?” Scott asked, trying to diffuse the obvious tension. He didn’t really care. Theo _wasn’t_ his boyfriend. He didn’t have any right to be possessive. 

The question earned him a sharp laugh from Theo’s throat, and a dramatic eye roll. Theo met Scott’s eyes and shook his head slowly. “They never are.” Theo ran a hand through his hair and spun the chair back towards Scott’s desk. “Anyway, if I’m sticking around, the least I can do is be helpful. You have finals to study for.”

“I do.” Scott said, stripping out of his sweater and lounging on his bed with a yawn. “My bio notes are on the desk somewhere.” He flapped a hand in the direction of the desk. He didn’t really _want_ to study, he wanted to nap for a million years after spending the morning (spending the last week) navigating Theo’s minefield of triggers, and Peter Hale’s snark on top of it.

“They’re right here.” Theo held up a stack of flash cards, leaning back against the chair and rolling over until he could kick his feet up on the bed. “Stages of Mitosis, go.”

\--

Theo glanced around the office space, sure that to a more refined palette, the dark wooden bookshelves and grand desk would seem tasteful. To him they just seemed to take up space, mostly. He cocked his head to the side, eyes roving over the blatantly magical titles on some of the books on the shelf.

“My mother’s an alpha werewolf,” Ari’s voice caused Theo to jump, which seemed to surprise both of them. Theo wasn’t really sure if it was because Ari was stealthy, or if he’d just been less hypervigilant recently. A combination, probably. “When it became obvious I wasn’t one, her emissary gifted me a full set of magical lore books. If I wasn’t going to be the next alpha, I should at least make myself useful.”

Theo nodded, turning to look at the man who had dropped into one of the arm chairs near the ornate wooden desk. “Were you useful?”

“I’m certainly not the emissary he hoped I’d be, that’s for sure.” Ari’s face cracked into a smile. “Do you have goals, Theo? Can you picture yourself in five years?” 

Theo considered, resting his hip against the edge of the desk, still wary. That was a difficult question, but one that seemed easier to answer now than it would have been a few weeks ago. Even still. “Beyond survival? No.” He shrugged. “Are you a therapist or a lawyer?” 

“Sometimes there’s more overlap than you’d think.” His smile slid into a smirk and he winked. With one hand he motioned to the other chair. “Have a seat.”

Hesitantly, Theo did, resting his hands on the tops of his knees and looking away from the lawyer. 

“Let’s start with an easy question, hmm? Are you a sex worker?”

Theo blinked a few times at the bluntness of the question. “Yeah,” he answered.

“Okay. Another one, then: Did you perform a sex act with Officer Thomas Bryant the night of your arrest?”

Theo’s heart sank in his chest and he kept his gaze pointedly away, one of his hands curling into a fist. He sat back against the chair and turned his head to the side, dragging in a long breath of the hoodie he wore. “Not voluntarily,” he said finally. 

Ari made a noncommittal noise. “You can be honest with me, Theo. In fact, that makes my job easier. If I know the details of what happened, I can make sure that you’ll be treated fairly.” 

Theo had never been _honest_ a day in his life, and now a veritable stranger was asking him to open up about a night that, really, Theo would rather forget. It wasn’t even the _worst_ night he’d ever spent in lockup. Scott had rescued him from the horrors of spending the night. Drawing in another breath of the hoodie he turned to meet Ari’s eyes. “He wouldn’t give me my phone call unless I did.”

Ari nodded. His lips were pressed flat, but at that admission they quirked into something resembling a smile. “We can work with that.” Ari pressed up from the armchair and moved back around to the other side of the desk, pulling out a legal pad. “Does your alpha know you’re anchoring on him?”

Theo’s brows drew together. “I’m not even a real werewolf. I don’t struggle to control my shift. What are you talking about?” He blatantly disregarded how the phrase “your alpha” settled over him, feeling comfortable and _right_.

“Do you think anchors are just for managing your shift? What half-truths are they teaching young werewolves these days?” Ari looked up with a bemused grin. “Every time you got upset you sniffed the hoodie and I would guess it calmed you down. An alpha can be a powerful anchor. Even if you don’t need help controlling the shift, it’s clear the scent of the hoodie brings you a measure of peace. I presume it doesn’t belong to you.” 

Theo stared down at the sleeve. The hoodie was Scott’s – though Theo had all but taken ownership of it lately. He turned back to Ari, who had looked back down at the notepad and was writing, reaching with his other hand to boot up his computer. Theo was shaken by how perceptive the man was. Had Theo been anchoring on Scott? He’d certainly felt better with Scott around, or at least with Scott’s scent around.

After a moment Ari looked up to meet Theo’s gaze. “Alright. Let’s figure out how to get you out of these charges.”

\--

Despite the awkwardness of the Freddie situation, living with Scott was as strangely calm as the first weekend had promised it would be. Theo felt himself settling more and more, entirely because of the alpha. Scott was clearly going above and beyond to make Theo feel comfortable. He’d been open and friendly with his affection, but never overbearing. He always gave Theo a chance to pull away or move away. 

Theo sometimes wished he wouldn’t. 

There was a part of Theo – a cold, damaged, fourteen-year-old trapped in an old man's house shaped part of him – that was still waiting for the other shoe to drop. He was waiting for the friendly touches to turn to backhands, or grips with the strength to bruise or break bone. He was waiting for Scott to ask Theo to use his _skills_ to make him happy. 

It never came, and the nineteen year old (almost twenty, he realized) part of him that knew Scott McCall, knew that it probably never would. It wasn’t in Scott’s nature to hurt the people he cared about.

And if there was one underlying fact in all of this that Theo couldn’t deny, it was that for some fucking reason, Scott cared about him.

Theo crept as quietly as he could into the apartment and then into Scott’s bedroom. Freddie, they’d found, was an incredibly heavy sleeper, but Theo knew Scott wasn’t. He was unsurprised to see the flare of Scott’s eyes glint off the light from his phone. “Sorry.” He whispered.

His mouth tasted (too literally) like ass and he knew he probably smelled like the five (six, fuck if he remembered, maybe ten?) guys he’d gotten off tonight. He’d thrown away his shirt already and grabbed a fresh one from his truck before he came inside. 

Scott hadn’t ever commented on any of it. Theo didn’t understand how he could just ignore it and then accept Theo into his bed. He always felt dirty (not to mention _worthless_ ) when he got back.

“Coming to bed?” Scott asked quietly, words accompanied by a yawn. 

“I just need to shower. I’ll be quiet.” Theo forced a fake smile onto his lips and darted into the bathroom, closing the door before he flicked on the light. 

The face in the mirror that greeted him _surprised_ him. For all intents and purposes Theo should look like shit. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was living with Scott, who insisted on them eating regular and reasonably healthy meals, he probably would. If it wasn’t for Scott, Theo would probably be ( _in jail_ , his mind supplied) tossing and turning in the backseat of his truck, waking up screaming and alone.

He’d spent so much of his life waking up screaming and alone that _not_ doing that was somehow more terrifying. 

Theo showered quickly, but thoroughly and brushed his teeth twice, eager to get both the taste out of his mouth and also keep Scott from having to smell any more than he had when Theo had walked in. Theo rested his head against the wall for a moment once he was done, trying to figure out how exactly the choices he’d made had led to here; in Scott’s shower, in Scott’s bedroom, in Scott’s _life_. 

Shutting off the water, Theo wrapped a towel around his hips and realized with a bitten-off groan that he’d forgotten to bring a change of clothes with him into the bathroom. Chewing nervously at his lip he stepped out into the darkness of Scott’s bedroom, flicking off the bathroom light and shifting his eyes so he could see. 

He dug through the basket of clean laundry and grabbed the first pair of boxers that he came to, slipping them on and then tossing his towel towards the dirty clothes hamper. With a yawn he dug out a T-shirt and slipped that on too before climbing into the bed and curling up on his side, facing away from the alpha.

Scott, apparently still awake, reached over to run his hand down Theo’s body, from his shoulder to his hip. Theo shivered at the touch, but, surprisingly, not in a bad way. 

Scott pulled his hand away though. “You okay?” 

There were a lot of answers to that question. The most straightforward one was no – Theo was a _murderer_ and a _manipulator_ and he’d been made that way by a combination of three batshit scientists and a rich old pedophile – there really wasn’t a situation that made that _okay._ He was also working the streets again – just tonight he’d sucked off enough people that he’d _lost count_. He was facing down a prostitution charge and the only thing standing between him and jail time was a lawyer hired by _Peter Hale_.

But, despite that, the words that came out of his mouth were: “Yeah, I’m good.” 

Because he was. 

Scott reached out to drag him closer, and Theo let his eyes fall closed as the alpha pressed his face between the crook of Theo’s shoulder and neck. “You smell good.” Scott murmured. 

Theo shivered again, and this time when Scott moved to pull away, Theo grabbed the arm that had draped across his stomach and held firm. “I’m good,” he repeated.

“I’m glad you’re home safe,” Scott slurred, clearly slipping back into sleep. His face was pressed against Theo’s skin and his arm was latched tightly around Theo’s middle, hand pressed flat against the middle of Theo’s chest. 

_Home safe_. Theo was pretty sure the last time those words were applicable to his life, he’d been seven and _home_ had been with his parents in Beacon Hills. But, if _home safe_ meant tucked into the True Alpha’s arms despite the irrefutable facts of his life, well, who was Theo to complain, really?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a reminder that if you haven't read it yet, and want to know more about Ari Jansen, you can read 'a whisper without you', which is the "third part" of this series. 
> 
> Come see me on [Tumblr!](https://tiniestawoo.tumblr.com/)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up that the end of this chapter, and some of the next few, are pretty emotional/flashback-heavy. The reality of what Theo's been through is horrifying, and I don't want to sugarcoat that and have anyone stumble onto a trigger.
> 
> I also just want to address something else: I'm not a lawyer. There are tags reminding you not to take legal advice from this fic. I'd suggest you heed them. There are enough points in this fic that I feel its important to nail: the emotions Theo's dealing with, his relationship with Scott, the way the trauma impacts him (and some ways it doesn't.) I'm not focusing on making my legal/courtroom shit perfect.
> 
> This chapter ends on a cliffhanger! The next one is written, so if you wanna hold off to read for next week, I'll completely understand!

“Case number 75637, State of California vs Theo Raeken.”

At one point (okay, a lot of points) in his life, Theo would have been unphased to be standing in a courtroom. He’d been here before, beside several public defenders. In the past, witnesses to his supposed ‘acts of prostitution’ had a mysterious habit of disappearing before they could testify. He’d been in this position multiple times, and never felt the fear he did now.

Now, for better or worse, there were no Dread Doctors to eliminate the people who accused him of this. Now, it was just his word against a 20-year veteran of the police department. Theo had seen him when he and Ari had walked in, sitting in the front row behind the prosecuting ADA. He’d smiled at Theo, broad and guiltless, like he’d done nothing wrong.

Before the growl that had bubbled up in his throat could escape, Ari had stepped pointedly to block Theo’s view. “Ignore him,” he whispered. “We both know the truth, okay?” 

Theo nodded, wishing he’d been allowed to wear one of Scott’s hoodies today. When he’d arrived at Ari’s office earlier this morning, Peter Hale had handed him a garment bag and told him to go change. While he hated the artificially clean smell of the fitted shirt and pants, he had to admit he looked a lot less like a teenage hooker in them. 

Which, he realized, was probably the point. It did, unfortunately, mean that he no longer had a cloud of Scott’s scent to help calm him. 

Ari led him to the table and pulled out the notepad. On it, he’d written neat lines of notes for Theo to go over this morning. Ari glanced at Theo and smirked in a way that reminded him far too much of Peter Hale, and flipped to the next page. 

In handwriting he recognized instantly as Scott’s, the words ‘ _We know the truth’_ were written on the paper. Theo bit back a smile and sat back in the chair, drawing in the first full breath he’d taken all morning. 

That was the difference, he supposed, from the past. Before, it had been him and an exhausted, overworked public defender against a system that wanted to imprison him for _surviving_. Now, despite the evidence stacked against him, he had a competent and driven lawyer, a suspiciously wealthy benefactor, and, most importantly, he had the faith of Scott McCall.

“Counselor Jansen, I trust you’ve caught up on the case.” The judge hadn’t even looked up yet, still flipping through the files. “Your client previously pled not guilty, is there any change to his plea?”

“No, Your Honor.”

The judge smirked in a way that made Theo want to be sick. “ADA Francis, do you wish to file any motions?” 

“I would, Your Honor. We’d like to include the defendant’s juvenile arrest record, as proof of prior bad acts.”

Theo sucked in a breath and looked up at Ari with panicked eyes. Ari had simply held up a hand to Theo, the smile pasted onto his face never faltering. “We have no objections.” 

The DA was clearly also confused as to why Ari hadn’t objected, and Theo hissed, “ _What?”_ under his breath. 

“I’ll allow it,” the Judge said hesitantly, looking between the ADA and Ari with a perplexed expression. “Is there anything else to be added?” 

“Yes, judge.” Ari said quickly, still smiling. Theo _thought_ he’d understood the strategy that he and Ari had discussed. He hadn’t realized how much fucking _smiling_ it was going to require. 

“As a term of my client’s release, he was confined to San Francisco County. He lacks a safe place to stay here. For his safety, I’d like his confinement to be adjusted to the state of California. He doesn’t have a passport or the means to flee. At least allow him a roof over his head.” 

The judge flicked his eyes from Ari to the ADA and then to Theo, who tried to make himself seem as small and scared as possible. It was frustratingly easy. “Does the state have any objections?” 

The ADA turned to Theo and Ari, raising a critical eyebrow, but then replied, “No, your honor.”

“Very good.” The judge banged his gavel, making Theo jump. “Trial is scheduled to begin on the twenty-first of June. You’ll be contacted about jury selection. Bailiff, next case.”

\--

As they headed out of the courthouse towards Ari’s car, Theo stepped in front of the lawyer and stopped. “The public defender said that my record would make it _harder_ to fight this case. You didn’t even put up a fight when they wanted to include it.” 

For the first time, Theo saw annoyance rise in Ari’s face as the lawyer narrowed his eyes at him. “Theo, I told you I was going to get you out of these charges. I didn’t say you were going to _like_ my methods.” 

“It just seems a little strange that you’re letting them _include_ the fact that I have three prior arrests for this. Makes the case pretty open and shut, doesn’t it?” Theo furtively glanced around them to make sure no one could overhear them. “The arrests are gonna look pretty similar; Theo Raeken, caught offering to let someone fuck him in exchange for money.”

Ari looked away, shaking his head. “I need you to stop thinking about what your public defender wanted, and listen to me, okay?” Ari turned back to Theo with the full force of his deep brown eyes. “You see prior bad acts. I see prior chances for you to be _raped_ by Officer Bryant.” 

The word rape had Theo frozen where he stood. “You’re...that’s the defense you’re going to use?”

“If we can prove that the officer has a history of sexual violence towards people in custody – especially minors – that will illegitimize his claims. That’s the only real evidence they have, Theo.”

Theo shook his head slowly, glancing away and ignoring the pit in his stomach, the scraping against his conscience. Memories threatening to surface. “I don’t know if I can do that.”

Ari’s hand settled on his shoulder, squeezing gently. Theo focused on it, soft brown and muscled, nails neatly manicured. It was as far away from white and wrinkly, with bitten-down nails as it got. “Don’t worry. I have some ideas for that too.” 

\--

In the month that Theo had been living with Scott, he’d never been particularly talkative, but Scott couldn’t help but notice how quiet he’d been since he got back from the pre-trial hearing. He’d curled himself up on Scott’s bed with a book, but Scott was pretty sure he was only pretending to read it. It had been several minutes since he’d turned a page and he smelled like fear again. Fear and anxiety.

Getting up from his desk, Scott cleared his throat. Theo jumped, nearly dropped the book as he turned to look at Scott. Scott gave him a small smile and dropped onto the bed next to him. “You okay?” he asked softly.

Theo looked down, avoiding Scott’s gaze as he sighed. “I’m...no.” Theo’s eyes fell closed. “I’m uh…” Scott waited, reaching out gently to rest his hand on Theo’s knee. The chimera didn’t object or pull away. “Ari wants to accuse Bryant of rape.” 

Scott pushed away the wave of anger that always seemed to rise at the mention of that cop. He squeezed Theo’s knee gently. “I’m not a lawyer or anything, but that seems like a pretty good strategy.”

Theo turned back to Scott with wide grey eyes. “Was it actually rape though? I didn’t say no, Scott. He’s just a human. I _could_ have stopped him.”

The question broke Scott’s heart. Of all the things Theo could have objected to about using a defense centered on him being a victim, Scott hadn’t realized _that_ was the issue. “You didn’t say _yes_ either, Theo.” Scott shifted on the bed, moving so he rested back against the wall and held out his arms to Theo. “Come here. Um, if you want.” 

Theo flashed a small, appreciative smile at Scott before he crawled between the alpha’s legs, settling his head against Scott’s shoulder. Scott brought his arms down, circling the chimera, stroking along his arm.

After a moment, when Theo seemed to have relaxed into the embrace, Scott said, “I don’t know what happened to you in the past. You haven’t told me” – Theo’s breath caught and Scott hurried to finish – “and that’s okay. But what happened at the police station last month, Theo if he _made_ you do something to him so that you could call me? That’s textbook rape.” And abuse of power. And just being a shitty human. There was a reason Scott had to work to keep the wolf in check when the topic arose.

Theo rubbed his cheek against Scott’s T-shirt, his breathing coming in sharp pants, his body shaking slightly in Scott’s grasp. “I….he made me suck him off. He always did. He had a uh...thing for my mouth.” The shaking increased, but Theo made no move to pull away, so Scott just tightened his grasp. “He’d fuck me if I stayed overnight. Told me he wouldn’t give me my dinner or let me out the next day if I didn’t let him.” 

An unconscious snarl tore its way out of Scott’s throat at that admission, “Sorry.” Scott said quickly, nuzzing against the top of Theo’s head. “It’s uh, not you. I’m not mad at you, okay? You were a kid. Theo, what you just told me, that’s definitely rape, okay? It doesn’t matter if you were a sex worker, it doesn’t matter that you’ve hurt other people, you didn’t deserve that.” 

Scott felt wetness against the fabric of his shirt, and heard quiet sobs escape from Theo. He sighed and rested his cheek against the top of Theo’s head, breathing in the clean scent of Theo’s hair to block out the sharp scent of guilt and fear and despair that were the primary scents in the room. 

“Thank you for telling me. None of it was your fault,” he whispered. ““Nobody, _nobody_ , deserves what you’ve been through, okay?” 

Scott wasn’t even really sure that he’d heard the word, whispered against his collar, muffled by skin and clothes and the racing sound of Theo’s heart. “Okay.” 

Theo didn’t sound particularly convinced, but Scott knew he’d repeat it as many times as he needed to for the words to stick.

\--

“I can’t believe that you’ve never seen it.” Scott laughed, turning on the TV and powering up the PS4 they used to watch movies. “It’s so good. And it’s got like, science and shit. It seems like something you’d be into.”

Theo, sitting cross legged in the center of the couch, freshly showered and dressed in a T-shirt he was pretty sure was his own and a pair of Scott’s sweats, just grinned. “I haven’t exactly had a lot of time to watch movies. There weren’t DVD players in hell.” He winked. 

Things had been easier in the week after Theo’s quiet admission about a part of his past. It was the last week before Scott’s summer classes were due to start. Earlier in the week, Scott had insisted they drive over to the beach, since Theo could now be anywhere in the state. On that trip, Scott had decided that it was absolutely vital that Theo see Pacific Rim.

The doorbell rang and Theo jumped up to answer it. “Probably the pizza, right?”

Scott was suddenly next to him, though, nostrils flaring. “It’s uh, it’s not pizza.” 

Theo glanced warily at Scott but then drew in his own lungful of the scent. “Oh great.” 

Scott sighed and shook his head. He opened the door with a frown on his face and his eyebrows pulled together. “Not even a warning text?”

“Would you have answered it?” Stiles asked, raising both of his hands in a shrug and pushing past Scott to enter the apartment. Derek was behind him, expression somewhere between apologetic and frustrated. Theo couldn’t help but wonder if, since he was dating Stiles, that was his default expression. “You’ve been really bad at that lately.”

“I’ve been busy,” Scott said, waiting for Derek to enter the apartment before closing the door behind both of them.

“Right.” Stiles said, wheeling around to face Theo. “Busy with _him_.”

“Nice to see you too, Stiles.” Theo smirked and tried to ignore the way his heart rate was skyrocketing. 

He’d known this was coming eventually, the fallout of Scott deciding to help him. He’d overheard more than one of Scott’s phone calls with various pack members and his family. Melissa was one of the most vocally nervous, but had told Scott that she trusted his judgement. Malia and Lydia felt approximately the same, that very likely, Scott was going to end up hurt again, but neither had made an effort to talk him out of it.

It had been the _lack_ of phone calls from Stiles that had clued Theo into his disapproval. Theo couldn’t blame him. Most of the time he didn’t understand what it was that drove the True Alpha to help him. To be gentle with him in a world that had never thought him worthy of gentleness.

The tension in the room was thick. Theo focused on trying to take deep breaths. Tried to slow his heart rate. The problem was, he knew _exactly_ what he was afraid of, and the fear was very valid. He knew the rising panic was caused by the threat of being forced to leave. Stiles _had_ that power. Stiles, more than anyone, could convince Scott that all of this had been a facade.

Stiles narrowed his eyes at Theo. “So, Theo, have you, uh, _paid Scott_ _back_ for all his trouble yet? Or was that not part of your plan?”

“Stiles, _stop it_!” Scott snapped at the same time Derek said, “ _Stiles._ ”

Theo barely heard either of them. He cleared his throat, trying to suck in a breath through lungs that were getting progressively harder to draw air into. “I’m gonna…” He glanced at Scott briefly. ”I left something in my truck.” 

It was a blatant lie, but Theo couldn’t be there. He grabbed his keys off the coffee table and shoved his feet into shoes before reaching for the door. Scott stepped closer to him, earning a scoff from Stiles. 

“You okay?” Scott asked gently, reaching to grab Theo’s hand.

“I’ll be right back,” he said, pulling his arm out of Scott’s reach and flicking his eyes between Scott and Stiles. “I just...I’ll be back.”

Before Scott could react, and ignoring Stiles’s smug grin as he left the apartment, Theo darted out the door.

He could hear Scott and Stiles arguing as he fled.

“Theo doesn’t owe me anything, Stiles, and if you’re just here to be a dick, you can leave.” 

“You’d let him do it _again_? You’d let him play you? Let him try and ruin our friendship?”

Theo felt himself start to shake. He hadn’t even considered it in context. _Was_ he doing that again? Was he driving a wedge between Scott and his pack, Scott and his _best friend_? Theo wished he trusted himself to know that this _wasn’t_ an act. That it _wasn’t_ some trick he was trying to pull. 

He _had_ done it before. In an intentional, purposeful, and entirely self-serving way. He’d wormed his way into Scott’s pack, his good graces, and betrayed his trust in the most unthinkable way.

What would his life even look like right now if he’d managed to kill Scott McCall? Would he have ever been to the skinwalker’s hell prison? Would he have ever come _back_ from it? Would the Wild Hunt have taken Beacon Hills like it had Canaan and the rest? Would there have even been a town for Monroe to corrupt? 

Theo got to his truck, leaning against the cool metal and trying to slow his heart rate. Tried to stem the panic. It was so much harder without the warmth of Scott’s hands and the cloud of his scent. 

Scott McCall was, without a doubt, the single most important person in Theo’s life. He was also one of the only truly good people Theo had ever met in this shitty fucking world. And here Theo was – a 19-year-old murderer, and very nearly Scott’s – begging for his attention, for a place in his pack. For his soft touches and crooked smiles.

How fucking _dare_ he. 

Theo knew better. He knew that someone good, someone kind and gentle and warm and loving like _Scott_ would never be attainable for someone cold and broken and evil like Theo. Not really. Scott might think he could want someone like Theo, but his pack – especially Stiles – would never allow it to happen. They too recognized how good Scott was. 

“Theo?” 

Theo let his eyes fall closed and tried once more to get whatever oxygen he could into his burning lungs before he turned around to face Freddie, Scott’s roommate. The young man smelled like alcohol and body odor, and his face was plastered in the kind of smile that made Theo want to kill him.

“What’re you doing out here?” Freddie asked. He was taller than both Theo and Scott, but skinnier, perpetually dressed in either not enough or vastly oversized clothing. “Did you two have a fight?”

Did they? Had there even been a fight? Was Scott fighting for him right now? Arguing against the brick wall that was Stiles when his mind was made up. _Stiles was right before_. “I just...he has company. I needed some air.” Theo didn’t want to be doing this right now. All he wanted was to be left alone, to get in his truck and drive somewhere – anywhere but here.

“Do you wanna make some money?” Freddie asked, grinning and motioning at his crotch. “We don’t have to tell Scott. It can just be between us.”

Bile rose in the back of Theo’s throat. The idea of someone touching him right now was unfathomable, and he had to look away to collect himself. “No.” He managed through a strangled throat. The word felt foreign. He couldn't remember the last time – if ever– that he'd just said _no_. “I can’t.” 

“C’mon. It’s money. You need that, don’t you? I’ll give you fifty bucks to blow me. You’re so pretty it won’t take long at all.”

 _Those pretty lips_.

Theo couldn’t. He couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. The monsters were too close to the surface and he did not deserve the warm blanket of Scott to keep him safe. When Freddie took another step, Theo lashed out, fist colliding squarely with his jaw and sending him sailing back several feet.

Vaguely, Theo could hear Freddie cry out and then scream curses at him, but he didn’t really listen. He climbed in his truck, started it and threw it into gear. At some point, he might have sent Scott a text but he couldn’t really remember if he did or what it said. 

It didn’t matter. He didn’t matter. 

He’d deluded himself into thinking that Scott actually cared about him, that he wanted to help Theo. He’d deluded himself into thinking that somewhere along the line, he’d earned the gentle touches and being held when he cried. Scott had convinced him that things weren’t _his_ fault. 

But he knew it had all been an act now. Stiles was right. Theo had been manipulating Scott from that first day. Scott didn’t deserve that. Scott deserved the world, and Theo only had ashes to give him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come see me on [Tumblr!](https://tiniestawoo.tumblr.com/)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't shout them out enough, but this fic would not be made possible without my beta, Demon, and cheerleaders Rin and... Sin. (I swear I didn't realize y'all rhymed until I typed that out LMAO whoops.)
> 
> Thank y'all for your help, and thank you to all of you who are enjoying this story and the characterizations within. I'm really enjoying writing it. This arc (chapters 3,4,5) was originally only supposed to be 2 chapters, so I suspect we might be bumping the final chapter count up to 8, but we'll see how the next few chapters come out!

Scott stared at the door, listening to the too-fast pace of Theo’s heart, the rapid pattern of his breathing as he hastily made his way out of the building. It was textbook panic. Theo was slipping into the panic attack fast and instead of letting Scott help he’d just walked away. Scott felt anger rise in him, but tamped it down. Yelling never made anything better with Stiles. It just made Stiles yell louder. Scott had learned that over years of friendship with him.

Even if sometimes, Stiles deserved it.

He turned away from the door, arms wrapped around himself and looked up at Stiles’s broad grin, his own lip quivering. “Do you have any idea what you just did?” 

“If I’m lucky, I got a manipulative asshole out of your life? Saved you from your own savior complex, successfully this time? Assuming he just leaves and doesn’t come back.”

The idea of that sent fear racing down Scott’s spine. He wanted to run after Theo, make sure he was okay, draw him away from the panic and the flashbacks and make sure he knew that Scott _wanted_ this. He wanted to be here, to hold Theo, to help. He didn’t feel manipulated, no matter what Stiles thought. 

But Theo hadn’t asked Scott to come with him. He’d asked for time, and Scott had to respect that request. Instead, he drew in a long breath, the scent of fear and anxiety heavy in the air, and looked past Stiles to Derek, whose eyes were firmly on the floor. “Derek, did you think Theo was acting?”

Stiles turned around to stare at Derek, one eyebrow quirked, face still plastered in a shit-eating grin. Derek looked up, glancing between both of them. He finally shook his head. “No. He didn’t seem deceptive at all. His heart was pounding and he wasn’t breathing quite right. He seemed anxious. Terrified, really.” 

Scott nodded slowly and turned back to Stiles, whose smile had faded. “You have _no right_ to know anything that I’m about to say, but I know you, Stiles. I get that you think this is a trick, that you think you’re protecting me. You’re not this time.”

“You thought I was wrong last time too,” Stiles said, arms crossed over his chest. His lips were pressed into a line, eyes on Scott. 

Scott nodded. “Last time you were right. Last time he was playing all of us.” Scott sighed and stepped away from the door, dropping onto the arm of the couch and running his hands into his hair. “It’s different this time.”

“How can you know, though? He’s a manipulative little –”

“He has nightmares, most nights. He has panic attacks and flashbacks and dissociates a few times a week. Last week, he admitted to being raped, _multiple times_ by a cop. There’s...even worse stuff in his past that he won’t talk about. I know you hate him, and I know that you think you’re protecting me, but you’re not this time, Stiles. This time, you’re just hurting people.”

Stiles’s eyes were wide and his mouth had fallen open at some point. “He was...by a cop...” He rubbed one hand over his entire face, tugging his eyes closed as he did. “ _Fuck_.” 

“You have _no idea_ how much you just fucked up, Stiles. I’ve been working for a _month_ to get him to trust me, to feel _safe_ here. And you walk in and in thirty seconds ruin all of it.” 

“Scott, you haven’t told me _anything_ about any of that shit. How was I supposed to know?” 

Scott didn’t get a chance to answer that maybe Stiles needed to stop and look instead of just being an ass, because a moment later the door to the apartment burst open and Freddie stepped through. He was cradling his jaw in his hand as he narrowed his eyes at Scott. “Your whore boyfriend _hit_ me.” 

Scott had to close his eyes because he was _sure_ they’d have flashed red at the word ‘whore’. “I’m sorry, _what_ did you just say?”

“He was out by his truck and I thought maybe he wanted to make some money. Y’know, because he’s a whore, it’s his _job_ to make people feel good.”

“Stop using that fucking word.” Scott’s eyes shot open and he brought his hands up to cover his mouth. Theo was hanging by a thread as it was. A sexual advance was the last thing Theo needed. Scott didn’t have fucking time to deal with this. “I need to go find him.”

“He took off.” Freddie said, glancing warily at Derek and slipped into the kitchen. He came back with an ice pack pressed to his jaw. “And he better stay gone–”

Scott turned to Stiles, ignoring Freddy. “ Do you get it now? You’ve seen him as the enemy for so long you never stopped to see him as a person. Everyone likes to pretend that because he made a few bad choices he suddenly doesn’t have a right to _feel_ things.”

“Scott, I didn’t know. And ‘a few bad things’ is putting it a little lightly. He...” Stiles glanced at Freddie briefly. “ _Hurt_ you.”

“Let’s go find him,” Derek said suddenly, stepping between Scott and Stiles. Scott was suddenly thankful for his presence, an aura of practiced calm. “Fight it out later, it seems like maybe there are other priorities right now.”

Derek was right, and Scott knew it. He should be more angry than he was at Stiles – probably would be later. He knew that he should be frustrated with himself because he’d allowed the situation to get to where it was. None of that seemed to matter right now. What mattered was finding Theo and bringing him back home where Scott could _try_ to fix the damage Stiles had done. 

He grabbed for his phone and keys. “I’m gonna go look for him. Stiles, you stay here. If he comes back, call me.” Scott looked at Derek, “If you wanna help, come with me.” 

Just as Scott made for the door, Stiles’s hand landed on his shoulder. “I really am sorry.” 

“I really don’t care right now.” Scott said, his tone far more even than it had any right to be. “Right now, I have to find Theo.”

He left, following the heavy trail of fear, anxiety, and shame.

\--

Theo nearly crashed his truck four times before he even got out of the neighborhood and onto the highway. He tried to keep his breathing steady, tried to ignore the flashback that was so painfully close he could taste it. He could taste expensive aftershave and cheap bar soap and lube. He wanted to squeeze his eyes shut, bury his face against Scott’s chest and let his alpha block out the world while he spiraled into memories that threatened to shake him to pieces.

He didn’t deserve that.

Instead, he had to try to keep his eyes open, try to drive with shaking hands, to navigate with a brain that was already mostly occupied replaying the worst moments of his life in HD. He wasn’t even sure where he was going until he got there. He pulled into the driveway of a small, dilapidated house. The front yards were overgrown and there was a notice on the door that the structure had been condemned. 

This was the house the doctors had purchased when he was still a child, and they needed to have an address to put on things. This address was the one that Theo had burned into his memory, the one that had been on his arrest paperwork back when he was still a teenager – _A kid_ , Scott would say. They’d abandoned it and moved into the labs shortly before they’d begun working on crafting Mason. Their pride and joy. Their success. 

Nothing truly bad had ever happened to Theo in this house. Maybe that was why he’d come here, running on instinct and fear, running to the closest thing to home he’d ever known until Scott wrapped his arms around him and built a new home for Theo there. A home made of lies and deception and manipulation.

That was all Theo was, and all he’d ever be.

He climbed out of the truck onto shaky legs and jumped the short fence, slipping around to the back and sliding in a window to the small bedroom that had once been his. The house had been looted at some point, and all that was left was a mattress and a broken bed frame, but it was there that Theo curled up as the flashbacks took over, dragging him into dark nights where, like now, there had been no one to hear him cry.

\--

Scott gripped the steering wheel tightly, feeling the familiar dents left by previous times where he’d been so angry that he’d decided to take it out on his car. It was better to take it out on the vehicle than to hurt someone else. Even if that someone had hurt others. Even if that someone was his best _fucking_ friend. 

“Where are we going?” Derek asked quietly. If Scott didn’t know him so well, he’d think he seemed relaxed — one leg kicked out and the other curled to hook behind his knee, his elbow resting on the door and his head resting on his hand. Because he _did_ know Derek, he knew Derek was probably faking nonchalance for his sake. “How were you planning on tracking him?”

Scott sighed and shook his head. “I was gonna check where he stashed his truck last time? In San Francisco? He tends to head back there when he’s upset. I don’t...I don’t really know. I just have to find him.” 

He didn’t. The situation had devolved so far that Scott didn’t know how to fix it. He didn’t know if it could be fixed. He didn’t _hate_ Stiles for what he’d done – Theo _had_ manipulated him in the past. Stiles had made judgements and said things based on the information he had. And it _was_ Scott’s fault that Stiles didn’t have the full picture. But, it also wasn’t Scott’s picture to divulge. 

“You really care about him, don’t you?” Scott kept his eyes firmly planted on the road, but he could see Derek shifting around in the passenger seat.

“Yes.” Scott said. The words just slipped out as easy as breathing. Yes, he cared about Theo. He _really_ cared about Theo.

“I’m not going to defend what Stiles said. He talks before he thinks a lot. But I don’t think he meant for this to happen. And I think if he’d known –”

“You don’t need to explain his behavior to me, Derek.” Scott said, shaking his head. “I know Stiles, and I probably should have told him but also, I just wish he could have trusted me for _once_. There were reasons why it didn’t feel right to tell him everything.” 

“He trusts _you_ ,” Derek replied. “That’s not the issue here.”

“Yeah, well I trust Theo.” He glanced at Derek quickly. “I trust that I know Theo better than Stiles could ever imagine. _Nobody_ has been hurt more by Theo than I have. I know why Stiles hates him but I… don’t hate him. I don’t think I ever did.”

“Does Theo know he means this much to you?” 

Scott shrugged. “I hope so? He lives with me. He sleeps in my bed every night. When he has flashbacks and panic attacks I help him through them as much as I can.” 

“Does Theo know that you two are dating, then?” Derek accused.

“We’re not...” Scott took one hand off the wheel to run through his hair. _Your whore boyfriend hit me._ Anger flared back through him at the word, but he realized he hadn’t objected to the rest of the phrasing: _boyfriend_. “I don’t know. I don’t know if he’s ready, if he can handle a relationship.”

“But, you want one.”

Did he? Was that what he wanted from Theo? Did he want a relationship? Was that what was happening between them? Scott had been blaming his feelings on his wolf instincts for the last month; the need to protect, wanting to keep his fragile packmate close, wanting to touch and smell and give Theo all the softness that the world had denied him. Scott looked to the side at Derek, meeting open, honest hazel eyes with his own before saying, “Yes.” 

“You have to tell him, Scott.” Derek said gently. “It’s...someone like Theo. What he’s been through? Nothing hurts more than deception. You have to give him all the facts and let him make his own decisions.” 

Scott had forgotten, until that moment, Derek’s past. He wondered if Derek looked at Theo and saw pieces of himself; manipulated and hurt, used as a pawn in someone else’s scheme. “I’m afraid, Derek. I’m afraid that he’ll leave. He doesn’t have _anywhere_ else to go. I don’t want him to think that in order to have a safe place to stay, he has to give me something. I just need him to be safe.” 

A small chuckle escaped Derek’s lips before he shrugged. “It’s his decision, Scott. From what I understand, people have been making decisions _for him_ his entire life. Give him the truth and the right to decide _for himself_. And you need to accept that while you’re saying that you’re afraid for him, what you’re really afraid of is losing him.”

Scott took the exit to head into San Francisco silently. Before he could do any of this, right any of the wrongs he might have been doing by hiding his feelings for Theo from Theo – or fuck, from himself – he had to find him.

\--

Theo woke to the feeling of the mattress sinking, and fear jumped into his throat as he scrambled up the bed, away from the dip in the mattress, away from whoever it was that was coming to his bed, coming to hurt him, to _touch_ him, to —

“Hey, you’re okay. Dude, Theo, it’s me.” 

Stiles’s voice snapped Theo from half-awake to fully conscious. Theo narrowed his eyes in the darkness at the human. “Come to tell me how terrible I am again? How I’m manipulating Scott? You made your point, Stiles. You don’t need to rub it in.”

Stiles fumbled with his phone for a minute and then the flashlight switched on, beaming into Theo’s eyes for a moment until Stiles set it down on the bed, the feeble light bathing the room just enough to make out the annoyed expression on Stiles’s face. “Do you really think I hacked into your phone, drove all the way to this tiny ass neighborhood outside of San Francisco, and then broke into a condemned building to _rub salt in your wounds_?”

Laid out like that it did seem like a lot of effort just to be a dick, but that was Stiles’s specialty. 

_And he’s right about you_. The voice in his head said. _He knows the real you. The monster_.

Theo shook his head, shifting so he was sitting more upright, hating that Stiles was between him and two methods of escape — the window _and_ the door. “Why are you here then?” 

“I’m here because I can hate you and love Scott at the same time.” Stiles said, looking away from Theo and picking at a loose thread on the bed. “For some reason, you’ve got him wrapped around your little finger. He genuinely cares about you. And...I was an ass.”

Theo’s eyes widened slightly at the admission, and then his eyebrows furrowed. “Neither of us can change the fact that I hurt him. You spoke the truth, Stiles. Sometimes it hurts.”

“Was it the truth, though?” Stiles asked, looking back up. His eyes were dark in the low light, and squinted as he studied Theo. “Scott doesn’t seem to think so. And Derek agrees with him. Somehow, you got two of the most important people in my life on your side. Both of them think I’m being an ass.” 

Theo wasn’t sure what to make of the information. It was so clear to him; he was taking advantage of Scott’s good will, eating his food, sleeping in his bed, letting himself be comforted by Scott’s presence. “What if you’re right?”

Stiles raised a single eyebrow, but didn’t say anything. “If I was right you wouldn’t have run.” Stiles sighed heavily and scrubbed at his face. “If I was right, you wouldn’t have been having a panic attack in Scott’s living room, and you wouldn’t have reacted like you were terrified when I woke you just now. I thought I was right, but I wasn’t.”

Theo didn’t have a chance to reply before he heard footsteps through the back door, and a moment later, Scott burst into the bedroom followed by Derek. Theo glanced at the window for just a moment, wondering if he could make it, if he _should_ make it, run away before he could hurt Scott any more than he already had.

“Are you okay?” Scott asked. Stiles had moved off the bed, and Scott had replaced him, hands frozen, partially outstretched towards Theo. “Freddie told me what he said, we’re going to have to deal with him later but…”

“I’m fine.” Theo said, glancing around the room, watching as Stiles tucked himself against Derek’s side, smelling like guilt and frustration. Scott smelled angry, but he didn’t look it. He was looking at Theo like he _mattered_. Like Scott had really been afraid for him. “Scott, I’m....” I’m sorry? I don’t trust myself? I think Stiles is right? There weren’t words to describe the complex mess of emotions inside Theo.

“No.” Scott said, holding up his hand. “No, you don’t get to be sorry. Theo, _None_ of this was your fault. Stiles was wrong, Freddie was an asshole. You were already fragile, you were just defending yourself.” 

Theo wanted so badly to believe Scott. He wanted to let himself cross the mere foot of space that separated them, bury his face into Scott’s neck and drag in lungfuls of the scent that had kept him centered and grounded for weeks now. “How can you be sure?” he asked, keenly aware of Derek and Stiles, but eyes focused on Scott. “It’s who I am, Scott.”

“It’s not,” Scott said softly. “Not anymore. It’s who you were. Who they _made_ you be. The Doctors and whoever else. That’s not your fault. I trust _you_ , Theo.”

Theo felt the burn of tears in his eyes and it surprised him. His vision blurred. “I don’t….I don’t trust myself, Scott. I tried to _seduce you._ ”

Stiles squeaked something, muffled by what Theo assumed was some part of Derek’s body. Theo didn’t take his eyes off of Scott, but heard Derek tug Stiles out of the bedroom and close the door behind them. 

“I don’t know, Theo, was it really _you_ seducing _me_ when I’d already gotten you into my bedroom, and into my clothes?” Scott chuckled. Theo couldn’t help but feel the edges of his own lips quirk up at the memory, Scott’s eyes flashing red as he walked out of the bathroom dressed for the first time in his clothes. Scott reached out, resting his hand gently on Theo’s ankle. “What happened that night might have been an act but the rest? You don’t...you can’t fake this.”

Theo wished that wasn’t true. He wished that he’d just been faking the trauma and didn’t have the years of demons and awful memories in his head to justify them. He wasn’t faking, that much he could agree on. He flinched forward, and it was all the encouragement Scott needed. The alpha tugged him close, pulling Theo into his lap, wrapping strong arms around Theo’s shoulders and resting his cheek against the top of Theo’s head. 

“I’m sorry I ran.” Theo whispered, feeling himself settle as he sat there, curled in Scott’s arms, safe and warm and all the things he’d forgotten how to feel until recently. The shadows in his mind were no match for the sunshine Scott brought into his life. 

“I’m just glad we found you.” Scott murmured. Theo felt him press a kiss to the top of his head. “Let’s go home.” 

_Home_. A real home. Not this shabby house, where Scott was the first person to ever hold him. Not a lab underground somewhere. Not a mansion with a pedophile who saw Theo as a body first, an experiment second, and a person hardly even at all. Not a fake house with fake parents playing a fake role to kill the only good goddamn person in his life.

Home, the way home was supposed to be defined. Where Theo could be safe. Theo didn’t bother to explain that he already was home. Scott was home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I love (constructive) comments and your thoughts! 
> 
> Come see me on [Tumblr!](https://tiniestawoo.tumblr.com/)
> 
> I've posted a few different promo graphics for this fic!! If you're on Tumblr and want to help me reach more people, please feel free to reblog them! All of them can be found [here](https://tiniestawoo.tumblr.com/tagged/icngyp+series)
> 
> \--
> 
> I'm only going to address this once: If you don't like the characterization of Scott or Stiles in this story (which I'm trying very hard to keep true-to-canon despite the way one gets softened/toned down (Stiles, who I love, but who is canonically kind of a dick) and the other demonized (Scott, who is genuinely a very caring person with the world on his shoulders)) I don't _care_ how much you like my plot: quit reading my fic. You're not wanted here.
> 
> Also, as a neurodivergent person, I cannot believe I need to explain that I am not anti-neurodivergent characters. It is not ableist for a neurodivergent person to be a dick.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy! Next chapter we'll get back to the courtroom stuff. 
> 
> Note about the delay this week: This fic Is being written almost entirely as a form of positive reinforcement to get a friend to complete their fic so, depending on their productivity, chapter 6 may go up next week, or it may be delayed! I'm guessing we'll be upping the final chapter count though, but I don't want to change it til I'm sure how much more I need. I'm already over the word count I estimated this story would be ending at and there are at least two more chapters to be written!
> 
> Thank you all for your patience.

Theo was in no shape to drive his truck back, so in an awkward sort of caravan, they all headed back towards Scott’s apartment. Scott drove Theo’s truck while Derek drove his car, Stiles in the Jeep. The drive was just long enough to let Scott’s anger, forgotten in the wake of the panic that drove him to _find Theo_ , go from a slow, rolling simmer to a full on boil. 

Theo dozed in the passenger seat, curled up on himself looking impossibly small for a fully grown human. Fragile. That was the best word Scott could come up with for him right now. He couldn’t help but feel guilty about it too.

He’d drawn Theo in, given him a place where he was supposed to feel safe. Scott had made space for Theo in his life with little regard to what the other people in his life might do or say or think. He’d let himself get lost in caring about Theo, holding him at night, reveling in the shift of Theo’s scent from mostly-anxiety to mostly-contentedness.

And in doing so, he’d opened Theo up to attacks like tonight, attacks from someone that should never have been a threat. Stiles was Scott’s _best_ friend. Theo should never have had to worry about barbs coming from his direction. Scott should have done a better job to shut things down while he still had time. He should have told Stiles about Theo sooner, let Stiles’s anger fade in the face of new information.

And instead, he’d failed both of them, unable to ignore the way guilt clung to Stiles. 

“What are you thinking about?” Theo asked softly, raising his head from the seatback to look at Scott. “You smell angry.” 

“I’m okay,” Scott lied. It was a practiced lie, one that had slipped from his mouth a hundred times in a hundred situations. He knew his heart didn’t even blip. “It’s just….been a frustrating night.” 

“Stiles cares about you,” Theo said. “He always has. He just wants you to be safe. I can’t...say that I blame him, Scott.”

Sometimes, Scott forgot how similar the two were. How calculating they could both be, how they both looked at a situation like a chessboard, thinking three steps ahead. The difference was Stiles moved quickly, picking the first obvious solution, while Theo took his time and analyzed all the possible outcomes. They were two sides of the same coin, though, terrifyingly brilliant and dangerous in their own way. 

“It’s not an excuse for how he treated you,” Scott said. “And then there’s the Freddie situation.”

A tiny sound, not quite a word but certainly an acknowledgement slipped out of Theo’s mouth. “I almost forgot.” 

“I should have…” Scott gripped the steering wheel. “He called you a whore.”

Theo chuckled, the word clearly affecting him far less than it had affected Scott. “Sometimes you call a spade a spade, Scott.”

Scott didn’t quite know how to reply to that, how to navigate the tedious and complex way that all of Theo’s fragilities were braided together. The lack of self worth, the false sense of self confidence, the warped self-image. He didn’t know how to untangle those wires, and he didn’t even know, if he was able to untangle it, what would Theo even look like? Who even was Theo without his web of insecurities?

How early had they started? Had they existed as far back as the fourth grade? Scott didn’t know.

\--

Stiles and Derek were leaning against the wall outside of Scott’s apartment when they arrived back, Theo trailing a few steps behind Scott as they approached, eyeing both of them warily. Scott expected to feel angrier, at Stiles, at the situation, but mostly he just felt sad. Derek held out his hand with Scott’s keys, which Scott claimed to unlock the door. 

Scott felt another rush of anger rise in his chest as Freddie looked up from the couch, a bruise blossoming along his jaw. “Oh good,” he intoned with a roll of his eyes. “You’re back.” 

Scott drew in a breath, realizing too late that it was a mistake, as the lingering anger and anxiety from earlier filled his senses. Words escaped him. The anger was mostly misdirected, much of it should have been aimed firmly at Stiles, but being angry with Stiles was hard. Being angry with Stiles was complicated. Being angry at Freddie was as easy as breathing. 

Stiles, Derek and Theo had somewhat reluctantly filed in after him, and Freddie did nothing to help his case, his eyes narrowing as he saw Theo, “No. He’s not staying here anymore.” 

The only sign to Scott that anything had changed was the red haze of his vision and the slowly growing look of horror on Freddie’s face as he scrambled up from the couch, pointing wordlessly at Scott.

“Scott.” Derek warned, tone cool, but Scott didn’t really hear him. 

“He’s staying here.” Scott said, suddenly aware that the words were slurred around fangs, a growl rumbling through his chest. “You are going to shut up and say _nothing_ to anyone about tonight, or what Theo did to you will be a walk in the park.” He took a step forward without making the conscious decision to. The anger, repressed all evening, edged in fear and complicated by things like love and affection, was spiraling out of him in a way it never had before. 

“SCOTT.” A hand landed on his shoulder and Theo stood in front of him, eyes yellow, face stern. “Scott, I’m okay. He didn’t know.”

Theo’s voice – the vehemence, the power in it – knocked him back out of his shift, blinking and taking in the sight in the living room. Freddie was white as a sheet, pressed against the furthest wall from Scott, babbling incoherently about red eyes and fangs and monsters. Derek was making his way slowly towards the younger man, features resigned, prepared once again to explain to yet another person that yes, werewolves were real. 

Theo had stepped in front of Scott, reached forward to touch an unhinged alpha werewolf without the slightest hesitation. He stayed there, yellow giving way to grey irises – expressive only under Scott’s observant gaze. “One trial at a time, Scott.” Theo said with a small smile, the hand on his shoulder squeezing gently. “Let’s not add any more to Ari’s plate right now.”

Scott focused on Theo’s hand, half heartedly listening to Derek giving his terrified roommate the Reader's Digest condensed version of the ‘supernatural beings are real’ talk. He kept his eyes on Theo’s hand, steady and sure on his shoulder. There was so much in that gesture, in the words that had followed it, so much more than just a beta stopping their alpha from making a bad decision. 

“You weren’t afraid,” he whispered finally, turning from Theo’s hand to his face, the chimera’s lips twisted up in a fond smile. “You weren’t afraid of me.” 

“Why would I be afraid, Scott?” Theo murmured, matching the volume of Scott’s voice, both of them keenly aware of how very _not_ alone they were. “You’ve literally never hurt me.”

Scott let a smile fall onto his lips. “No, no I wouldn’t,” he agreed, covering the hand on his shoulder with his own, brushing his thumb against the back of it.

“I think we’re good here.” Derek said, a little too loudly, but shaking Theo and Scott out of the moment, Theo’s hand falling away. “Freddie understands he made some miscalculations tonight, and won’t make the same mistakes again, right?”

Freddie nodded emphatically. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m just gonna—” he hurried towards his room and slammed the door shut a moment later. 

Scott let out a breath he hadn’t been fully aware of holding. “Thanks for...taking care of that.” 

Derek raised both of his eyebrows. “You’re my alpha,” he said, as if it explained his willingness to trust Scott, to drop everything to help Scott go on a wild goose chase to find Theo. The easy way he took on the task of cleaning up a mess Scott hadn’t intended to make. In a way, a primal way, it did.

“Mine too, for the record.” Scott had almost forgotten that Stiles was even there. He’d been uncharacteristically quiet during the whole — fuck had it only been a matter of minutes? It felt like hours, like years. “I’m sorry. To both of you.” 

Scott turned around to face him, nodding. “I think you guys should probably go,” he said, though even he could hear how heartbroken the words made him. It was late, Scott was exhausted, and wasn’t sure if he had the emotional range to add forgiving Stiles to his list of heroic emotional feats tonight. Clearly, if he’d wolfed out on his roommate he was at the end of his rope. “Let’s talk tomorrow.”

“We’ll go.” Derek said softly. Scott could see softness in how he squeezed gently at Stiles’s arm, and he was glad that at the very least, Stiles wouldn’t be alone tonight. “Scott, are you going to be okay?”

“Yeah.” Scott said nodding, his mind a mix of befuddling emotions; protectiveness and fear for Theo. Anger and love for Stiles. Gratefulness and worry for Derek. He hoped they’d get through it, that in a few weeks or months tonight would be forgotten, but he was more realistic than that. He knew there would be lingering remnants of tonight for a long time. “I just...I’m tired.” It wasn’t even a lie.

Theo had slunk away, heading for the bedroom before stopping, turning to face Stiles and Derek. “At some point, I’m going to be mad you hacked my phone, but thank you. I know helping Scott find me wasn’t your first choice,” he said to Stiles before disappearing into the bedroom.

Scott walked towards the door, opening it and waiting for the pair of them to walk out before speaking. “I just need some time. I love you, man. Tonight was just…” 

“I get it.” Stiles said, and it seemed like it pained him to say it. “I love you too, Scott. And I’m sorry.” 

“Scott, don’t forget what we talked about,” Derek reminded gently, the conversation in the car about agency and Theo deserving to make the choice for himself flashing to the front of Scott’s mind. “He deserves to make his own choices.”

“I know. You’re right.” Scott smiled, a small, tired smile, and then waved as they walked away, one of Derek’s arms wrapping around Stiles’s shoulders. 

He closed the door and rested his forehead against it, flipping the deadbolt and then taking a moment just to breathe.

\--

Theo wasn’t sure what it was about sitting in Scott’s desk chair that he liked so much. Mostly, he was pretty sure it just felt less intimate than sitting on Scott’s bed. The chair was neutral territory. And there was something strangely satisfying about spinning in the chair, about being in control of the motion’s start and stop, about spinning and then dropping his leg to the ground and the world coming to a screeching halt at his silent order.

He’d been spinning tonight, only it didn’t matter how often he dropped his leg, nothing stopped it. Nothing, until those words from Scott, ringing across the bedroom: _I trust you._ That had finally let Theo stop and breathe. 

Scott entered the room so quietly that Theo hadn’t noticed him until he’d spun the chair again, dropping his leg and coming to stillness abruptly, looking up at Scott. “So much for watching Pacific Rim,” he tried, forcing a smile to his lips.

It had the desired effect, the alpha chuckling quietly, his eyes softening at the edges and the harsh line of his shoulders relaxing back against the door. “We have time. We can watch it tomorrow or something.” 

_We have time_. How much time? ‘Til the end of Theo’s trial? ‘Til Scott eventually found an actual romantic partner who wasn’t broken and needy the way Theo was? How long did they have before Theo became just another burden Scott didn’t deserve to bear. 

“I need to tell you something,” Scott said, his eyes anywhere but Theo, heaving in a heavy breath. “And I need….I just need you to promise me you aren’t going to leave tonight.”

“I didn’t have a lot of luck leaving the first time,” Theo said, trying to keep his tone light, though his heart rate sped up. He drew in a long breath and held it, exhaling slowly. He would not panic again. Not yet. Not until he was sure what it was he had to panic about. 

“I haven’t been completely honest with you about something, and...I should have been. I should have told you a lot sooner but, I don’t think I figured it out myself until I realized I might have lost you.” 

There were so many possible ways this conversation could go, Theo didn’t dare pick a rabbit to chase. “Okay.” 

“I kept telling myself I was helping you because you were pack, because my wolf saw a hurt pack member who needed protection and assistance and….that’s why I’ve been doing this. I told myself the reason that I want to hold you at night was a wolf thing, that I wanted closeness and to be able to scent you. But….I realized tonight that that’s just...part of the story.” 

Theo knew better than to hope that this conversation was going the direction he suspected it might be. He had to force himself not to hold his breath, hands gripped on the edge of the chair between his legs, eyes focused on Scott as he waited for him to continue.

Scott’s face broke into a boyish, incredulous smile and he brought both of his hands up to his face. “I feel like I’m fifteen again, fuck. But, I like you, Theo. I haven't...the last month with you, it hasn’t been easy but when it’s good, it’s really good.” 

Theo forced himself to swallow, unfamiliar warmth spreading in his chest. He looked away, focused on the trim near the ceiling, anywhere but the radiating warmth and hope on Scott’s face. “Scott you could have anyone you want,” he said. “You’re kind and caring and hot and a fucking True Alpha. You’re a catch. I’m...a killer. I’m a homeless prostitute with an entire luggage stores’ worth of baggage that I might never be able to talk about.”

“I don’t care.” 

“I do.” Theo breathed. “I ruin everything, Scott. I always have. I watched my sister die, I killed my parents because _they_ told me I had to. I killed my pack. I killed you. All I do is break things, and you…” Theo looked back at Scott with blurred vision, surprised that fear wasn’t his first emotion looking up at him with tears in his eyes. “You’re too good, Scott. You’re too good to let me break you.” 

“I’m not that breakable,” Scott said with a smile, stepping close to Theo. “And you’re not who you used to be.” Scott dropped to a squat in front of the chair Theo was sitting on, reached up, as slow as ever, to wipe the tears that had fallen from Theo’s eyes. “If you don’t want...whatever this is… because you’re gonna be uncomfortable or get triggered by things, I can accept that. I will accept that. I would never force you to do anything, Theo.”

“I know.” Theo kept his hands planted on the chair, but lost himself in the open, honest eyes of the other. “I’m not afraid of you. I know you’d never hurt me.” 

“Then please, please don’t push me away just because you don’t think you’re good enough. I don’t care. I care about you. You’re pack and...you’re more. Tonight, all I could think about was that you were alone and having a flashback and that I wasn’t there to help you through it. I was afraid you’d get hurt, or someone would find you and take advantage of you. I know you can take care of yourself but...sometimes I think you need to let other people help.” Scott cupped Theo’s cheek in that uniquely calloused hand, stroking his thumb gently. 

Theo couldn’t stop himself from leaning into Scott’s hand. His brain had listed a hundred reasons why this shouldn’t happen, and at the top of it was the fact that Scott deserved so much more than Theo was ever going to be. But, his mind also flashed back to the kiss they’d shared, the way Theo had _wanted_ to be touched by Scott in a way he’d never been able to want anyone else.

Scott was safety. Scott was home. Scott was sunshine. 

So, words escaping him, Theo leaned forward to press his lips against Scott’s, the alpha startled briefly before returning the chaste kiss, pulling away with the brightest smile Theo had ever seen from him. “We don’t….if that makes you uncomfortable you don’t have to do that.” 

Theo licked his lips, chasing the taste of Scott on them. “It doesn’t. Not with you.” He, with effort, unlatched his hands from the chair and brought them to rest on Scott’s shoulders. “I’ve never wanted to before? But...with you I want to.” 

“So kissing is okay?” Scott asked, standing up. The word okay caught on a yawn, and Theo couldn’t stop the sympathetic one that escaped from him. “And...sleeping? Can I still hold you or…”

“Scott, nothing has to change.” Theo said, standing up from the chair and reaching for the alpha, one of his hands on the back of Scott’s neck and the other pressed flat to his chest. “Kissing is fine, kissing is _great_ but… I meant it when I said I’m not afraid of you.”

“I just…” Scott’s eyes fluttered closed, half with exhaustion and half with his search for the right words. Theo appreciated that about Scott, how deliberate he was about everything he did. There were no tricks, there was no wordplay or hidden barbs. Scott was just truly, genuinely good in a way Theo was terrified to spoil. “I just want you to be okay.”

“Maybe one day.” Theo winked, leaning up to capture the alpha’s lips again. 

Scott’s hand cupped the back of his head, and the other one rested at his hip. Scott’s lips were warm, a little dry and eager to open with the slightest question from Theo’s tongue. Theo reveled in the moment, in having Scott so willingly under his direction like this. Two years ago, the context would have been all wrong. Two years ago, something like this would have broken him, shattered him further than sliding his claws into Scott’s chest in a misguided search for power.

Theo was broken, he was self aware enough to know that. He had shadowy parts of his mind, memories that threatened to shake the very core of him. He was a killer and a manipulator and a mess. But, somehow, held by strong arms, in a quiet bedroom, sharing soft kisses and smiles with someone good, someone like Scott? 

He’d never be good. He’d never be able to wash away the blood from his hands but, maybe one day he’d deserve this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come see me on [Tumblr!](https://hale-argent.tumblr.com/) (new Tumblr URL, don't be confused!!)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks to Demon for making sure this tugs heartstrings appropriately, and makes sense!

“Do you understand what we’re asking of you, Scott?” Ari leaned against the edge of his desk, concerned brown eyes slightly squinted in Scott’s direction. “It’s...a risk. You could technically be charged with perjury.” 

Scott pondered for a moment, glancing across the room to where Theo was angrily standing with his arms crossed, glaring daggers at Ari. “It’s not really a lie,” Scott said with a shrug, glancing from Ari to Theo. “Before I picked up Theo from the police station, I had no idea what he was doing.”

“Yeah, well what about when they ask you about what I’ve been doing since?” Theo spat. “Ari, this is a terrible idea. I told you we were _not_ dragging Scott into this.” 

Scott watched Ari’s chest rise as he folded his hands in front of him. “Theo, for the fifth time today, _hopefully_ we won’t need Scott to testify at all. But, between the two of you, he’s a lot less likely to have a flashback on the stand.” Ari raised one eyebrow. “ _Maybe_ if you’d started seeing the therapist I recommended, we could discuss putting you on the stand, but right now I don’t think you can handle it.”

“You have _no idea_ what I can handle!” Theo’s arms unwound quickly, clawed hands dropping to his sides, his words slurring around fangs as he growled in Ari’s direction.

Scott climbed to his feet quickly, putting himself between Theo and the (chuckling) lawyer. “Theo,” he murmured. “Take a breath.” Scott reached out to grip the back of Theo’s neck, squeezing gently. “He’s here to help, y’know.”

Theo’s yellow eyes fell closed and he leaned forward, resting his forehead against Scott’s shoulder. Scott’s other arm wrapped around his side, stroking gently against his back. “I just don’t want you to get in trouble,” Theo whispered. “You shouldn’t be involved in this at all, I–”

“We’re not doing this again, Theo.” Scott murmured, turning his head to press a kiss to Theo’s temple. “I’m here because I care about you. I’m your alpha. It’s my _job_ to protect you.”

“Scott, I _broke the law_.” 

“So have a lot of people. Some laws shouldn’t exist anyway.” Scott nuzzled against Theo’s too-long hair, pressing one more quick kiss just above his ear. “We’ll talk about whether or not it’s a good idea for you to do sex work eventually, but right now, keeping you out of jail kinda takes priority.”

“Well, I’m certainly glad one of you is reasonable,” Ari mused from behind Scott. 

Scott unwound himself from Theo and stepped back towards the chair, dropping into it. “Sorry about that.”

Ari shrugged casually, “He’s far from the first person to growl and flash eyes at me as an intimidation tactic. I have an older brother and three younger siblings. Pick on the human sibling was their favorite game. You learn to ignore it.” Ari turned back to Theo. “I agree with your alpha, for the record. I shudder to think what would happen to you in prison. Let’s go over Scott’s testimony.”

A few hours later, as they headed to leave, Ari clasped Scott on the shoulder. Scott turned back to look at him with a questioning expression.

“The therapist would be good for him,” Ari said, barely above a whisper. “I know you can’t force him, but it’s help he needs. You do a lot for him, but you can’t be his lover _and_ his counselor. The one I’ve recommended is a druid. She’s perfectly equipped to handle his situation, even with all of its supernatural eccentricities.” 

Scott gave Ari a grateful smile. “I’ll try to talk to him.” He reached up to pat the other man’s hand a few times before letting it slide from his shoulder.

\--

Theo glared at Scott’s back from his place on the bed, leaning back against the wall with a book in his hand. Scott sat at his desk, computer open in front of him, typing away at an essay or lab report or something. Usually Theo was very interested in whatever Scott was working on, but today he was just frustrated. 

Things had been...different since the night that Theo had found his way back to the house he’d lived in with the Doctors. Since the night that Stiles had tried to push Theo out of Scott’s life and nearly succeeded. 

Freddie had moved out within the week, scrounging up money from somewhere to break his half of the lease. No one else had moved in yet, but it was still summer. Undoubtedly, by the fall term, they’d have another roommate to deal with, but for the time being, it had been nice. Quiet. For the first time, Theo was living in a space where he could just exist without hiding or masking or pretending. 

Which was probably where he found the strength to say, “I wish you’d stop sacrificing yourself for me.” 

Scott’s hands froze on his keyboard and he turned the computer chair around to face Theo. His face was pinched, eyebrows drawn and lips pressed together. “I’m not sure you and I have the same definition of sacrifice.” 

“You’re putting yourself in danger to protect me.”

Scott smiled wryly. “Theo, on the list of times I’ve done things to protect people, I don’t think slightly perjuring myself is really ‘putting myself in danger’.”

“You could go to jail!” Theo threw his book down and sat up straighter, pulling his knees into his chest. “I could get convicted _anyway_ , and then they could charge you with perjury and then where are we? All of this could be for _nothing_. And you don’t deserve that. I can’t...I _won’t_ prove him right, Scott.” 

The tension in Scott’s body bled away and he let out a long sigh, reaching behind himself to close the lid of his laptop before crawling onto the bed, laying on his side and propping up on one elbow facing Theo. “Is _that_ what this is about? What _Stiles_ said? He was wrong, Theo.” 

“Was he?” Theo whispered, looking away. “Because from my perspective, I’m here, dragging you into a situation you shouldn’t be in, asking you to perjure yourself in court for me.”

“Theo, _you_ didn’t ask me to do this. This wasn’t your idea. This was Ari’s idea.” Scott reached out to grip Theo’s arm, stroking his thumb across it gently. “I’m not being manipulated here. No one is lying.”

“Except you.”

“It’s not really a lie, though. All I’m saying is that I wasn’t aware you were a sex worker. And that I haven’t seen you do any sex work since. Those aren’t lies.”

“Scott, you know what I’m doing when I leave at night.” Theo turned back to him.

“Know, yes.” Scott smirked. “See, no. You were listening today when Ari was questioning me, did _you_ hear me lie? Did anything I say seem untruthful?”

“No.” Theo said softly, his eyes fixed on the point where Scott’s hand gripped his arm, watching the methodical stroking motion of the alpha’s thumb. “I just…”

“Theo, please,” Scott said, shifting so he could sit up, legs crossed, but close enough that Theo’s hip brushed against the place where his shins met. He reached out to cup Theo’s face, his grip gentle but sure, his motions slow and practiced and cautious. “I know that you’re afraid. I know that your whole life has pretty much just been you against the world. I get that. But you’re not alone anymore.” 

“I deserve to be,” Theo whispered, looking away but not pulling his face from Scott’s grip. He let his eyes fall closed and leaned into the hand. 

“That’s not true.” Scott used the grip on Theo’s face to gently turn his face towards him. “You made your mistakes and you paid for them. We’ve all made mistakes. I’m not innocent either, Theo. Nobody survives a war without blood on their hands.” Scott leaned forward, brushing their noses together.

Theo tried not to hold his breath, mesmerized that he was here, that this was happening. Sometimes (most of the time), It didn’t even feel real. It felt like some kind of hazy dream and he kept waiting to wake up and be curled into the back seat of his truck. Somehow, he was supposed to believe that he deserved this.

He forced the breath he’d held out, forced himself to drag another one in, let himself lean closer, to press his lips against Scott’s warm, dry ones. Scott startled for just a moment before the hand on his cheek slipped around to the back of his head, and the alpha returned the kiss.

\--

They’d kissed from time to time since Scott had asked Theo to be with him, to stay even when he felt like he didn’t deserve to. All of those kisses after the first had been initiated by Scott, usually at night when Theo climbed into bed, vibrating with anxiety and guilt. Scott would draw him close, press a soft kiss against his lips to help push away the memories of anyone who’d asked for more than Theo could safely give that night.

There was a part of Scott that wished Theo would stop. He wished that instead of going out and letting his body be used, Theo would just stay home where Scott could keep him safe, where he could begin to heal. But, even now that they were dating, that still wasn’t his decision to make. All he could do was be there to chase away the demons that threatened the fragile grip Theo had on reality.

So, to have Theo initiate a kiss, soft, warm, pleading for attention and affection, it was mind blowing. Scott had to be careful not to take more than what was offered. He was still a teenager, and Theo was still incredibly attractive, but Scott wasn’t doing this for Theo’s body, he was here for the whole package — sharp edges, broken fragments, spider-cracked pieces and all. 

Theo, though, seemed insistent. He broke the kiss, uncurling his legs and pressing Scott back against the bed, climbing eagerly to straddle his hips and leaning down to recapture his lips. Scott tried not to let his confusion show too obviously, but eagerly accepted the affection, his arms wrapped loosely around Theo, a grip the chimera could easily break if he needed to. 

It wasn’t until Theo broke the kiss a second time and began a trail of kisses down Scott’s neck and chest that Scott realized what was happening. With a sad sigh, Scott knew he had to stop this before he lost his ability to think logically. He gripped at Theo’s shoulder and tugged the chimera up just as his hands gripped at Scott’s belt. “Theo, we’re not doing this.”

“Not doing what?” Theo asked, slightly breathless, his smile a bit too-bright for the look in his eyes. 

“Having sex. Of any kind.” Scott said pointedly. “Not...now. Not yet.” He drew in a long breath to sort through the chemosignals. Guilt was most prominent. Interpreting emotions wasn’t a perfect science, and Theo’s were often more complicated than chemosignals could explain. Still Scott knew what he didn’t smell: Lust.

“Scott…” Theo was on his knees, still straddling Scott’s thighs. “I don’t...understand. You said you _liked_ me. You kiss me all the time. Why can’t we do this? I just...want to make you feel good.” 

Scott pressed his lips together, studying the other. “Tell me why you smell like guilt then.” Scott shook his head and looked away. “Tell me that I’m wrong, tell me you’re not doing this because you think you owe me something. Please, _please_ tell me and I’ll believe you.” 

Theo’s eyes fell closed and his hands went limp, weight sinking down onto Scott’s thighs as he deflated. His lips quivered slightly. “I...I’m sorry.” 

“Theo, you haven’t done anything _wrong_.” Scott rolled up to a seat, bringing him face to face with the other, wrapping his arms around Theo’s hips to keep him steady. “But I don’t want you to do something just because you think I want it. I don’t want you to hurt yourself for me. In the future, if you _want_ to have sex, I’d do it in a heartbeat. Obviously, I’m pretty into you.” Scott pressed a kiss to his cheek. “But I think maybe before we do that, you should go see that therapist that Ari recommended.”

Theo seemed to roll his closed eyes with his entire body, leaning back against the grip of Scott’s arms. “God, not you too.” 

“I can’t…” Scott bit his lip. “I _love_ that you talk to me okay? I really do. I’m glad you trust me enough to do that, but Theo, I’m not a therapist. I want what’s best for you and I can only do so much.”

Theo sighed, opening his eyes and pressing his lips together. “I don’t know if I can talk about…the past.” 

“Then don’t.” Scott said, smiling gently. “Just talk about the future. Talk about the trial and stuff that happens. Then talk about the past when you’re ready. But...as hard as it is, Theo I want you to _heal_. You deserve to, okay?”

Theo shook his head. “You seem to think I deserve a lot of things, Scott.”

“Everything,” Scott said, leaning forward to press a chaste kiss to Theo’s lips. “I think you deserve everything.”

\--

June 21st had seemed an eternity away but arrived unexpectedly quick. Theo was once again stuffed into the fitted shirt and pants. The only bonus this time was that the clothes had been hanging in Scott’s closet for the last month, so there were remnants of the alpha’s scent on them. It also helped that Scott was there today, his hand resting on Theo’s lower back, sure and smiling brightly. 

Peter was there too, waiting outside the courtroom for them, which turned out to be a good thing. Much to Theo’s surprise, when Officer Bryant sauntered down the hallway towards them, a growl started in Scott’s chest, and Peter stepped helpfully in the way of the entire world seeing the red flash in Scott’s eyes. 

“Scott,” Theo whispered, pressing himself closer to the alpha. “I’m okay. It’s okay.” 

“It’s really not,” Peter said, crossing his arms over his chest. “But really, Scott, I thought I taught you better than to flash your eyes in public.”

“You didn’t teach me anything,” Scott said. His anger was redirected at Peter, but the red eyes were gone. “Derek taught me everything I know about being a werewolf.” 

“And he did such a good job.” Peter winked, grinning broadly.

Theo eyed him warily. He’d heard plenty of tongue-in-cheek stories of Peter’s _help_ with the various situations in Beacon Hills. But, to watch him effortlessly diffuse a situation without a moment’s hesitation only served to make Theo more wary of him. 

Before either of them could reply, the courtroom doors opened and the bailiff waved everyone inside. Scott pressed a gentle kiss to Theo’s cheek and whispered, “You’re not alone anymore,” into his ear. 

Theo watched mournfully as Peter and Scott headed inside, turning to Ari. “However today goes, thank you.” 

Ari nodded, lips quirked up slightly. “Just remember to keep yourself anchored, no matter what gets said. They _are_ going to tear you down, they are going to say awful things. Get upset, shed some tears if you want, but do _not_ lose it. I’m good at my job, but even I can’t explain glowing eyes and fangs.” Ari clasped Theo on the shoulder and steered him into the courtroom.

When everyone was settled, and once the instructions had been given to the Jury, the Judge glanced warily between both Ari and the ADA. “We’ll begin with an opening statement from ADA Francis.” 

The ADA did her damndest to paint Theo as every bit the teenage prostitute he rightfully was. She talked about growing up with a lack of parental supervision, about how kids go out onto the street and sell their bodies rather than becoming a productive member of society. She finished by explaining that they’d prove beyond a reasonable doubt that not only was Theo Raeken a prostitute, but he’d gone so far as to try and use sex as a way to get out of custody. How only by finding him guilty could they truly save him and that time in prison was the only way to get him to see the err of his ways.

By the end of it, Theo wanted to be sick. _She was right_. He _had_ sold his body. He _did_ use sex to get what he wanted. He’d used it with his pack, memories rising to the surface of kissing Tracy as his claws slid between her ribs. He’d used sex to make money, to put gas in his truck, fuck, even to buy a phone call to get out of jail. Sex was a tool that he had used ever since those dark days where he’d learned that what he was best at was shutting up and letting others use his body.

He stared at the table, breathing as evenly as he could. He hated this. This was a mistake. He was a mistake. He was only going to hurt more people. He should have just gone to jail and —

“ADA Francis did a wonderful job of telling you all about the things Theo Raeken is _accused_ of doing.” At some point in his spiral, Ari had been given the go-ahead to give his own opening statement. “But, I’d like to tell you about who my client _is_. Mr. Raeken was born in a small town called Beacon Hills. It’s a town known for its tragedies..”

Theo’s heart sank. He kept his eyes fixed on the table, refusing to look up, Ari’s steps around the courtroom echoing loudly in his ears. _He’d killed her_. 

“Theo lost his sister, and then his parents to their grief. Just ten years old and suddenly left to fend for himself. All of us were children once, can you imagine what it might feel like to have your parents be so lost in their grief that they forget they have a child? Mr. Raeken was forced to grow up quickly, and as you’ll learn, had several previous run-ins with the law, as a result..

“Theo is a victim of the system. He’s a child forced to grow up too soon, forced to fend for himself and fight for everything he’s been given in life. Only recently has he found a support system, people who genuinely care about him. The prosecution is going to do their best to try to prove to you that Theo is nothing more than a teenage prostitute — just another of the thousands in a system that aims to tear them down and give them few options. They’re going to dehumanize him, make it seem like he’s to blame for all of the bad things in his life. I _implore_ you to remember the human being in that chair.

“Remember what it might be like to feel totally alone, to be a child living in a world they’re unprepared for. My client is not a prostitute, he’s a victim of circumstance. He’s been taken advantage of repeatedly and at no point was anyone prepared to stand up for him. I want you to prove to him that there are people in this world that _do_ care. I want you to show him that there is a place in this world for people who have made mistakes. ” 

Theo barely heard Ari’s steps over the pounding of his own heart. The vehemence the attorney spoke with was infectious. The way he spoke about Theo like...like he mattered, like there was more to him than just a murderer and a manipulative liar. He turned towards Ari when he sank into the chair with tears in his eyes. “Thank you,” he whispered. 

Ari winked, reaching over to squeeze Theo’s forearm gently. “Don’t thank me yet. We’re just getting started.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, I'm *almost* done with this thing. Chapter 7 is written, pending beta, and then there will be one last chapter (chapter 8) to wrap things up.
> 
> And then, I'm gonna be taking a break for a while, from writing in general, but definitely writing in Teen Wolf. I've written a lot this year in this fandom, and the response to most of it has been incredible. Thank you to everyone who has supported me so far and encouraged me to keep going!!
> 
> See y'all in 2 weeks for chapter 7, and 2 weeks later for chapter 8!!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! It's been quite the week for me. 
> 
> One more chapter to go after this, up as soon as my beta gets around to it!!
> 
> Also, disclaimer one last time: Not a lawyer, not guaranteeing accurate courtroom _anything_
> 
> Hopefully this bring some joy today!

After opening statements, they broke for lunch. 

It was impossible for Scott to miss the way Theo was curled in on himself, his eyes downcast, his hands folded in his lap or wrapped around his body. He smelled like fear and anxiety, more potently than he had in weeks. Every time Scott reached for him, he pulled away physically and drifted just a little further inside himself. 

The prosecutor’s words had been harsh. It had been mostly filled with lies and accusations and not for the first time in this process, Scott had wished there was more he could do. As it were, he was nothing more than moral support, and Ari’s trump card if he couldn’t get the officer to break on the stand. Scott had practiced his testimony, answered both Ari _and_ Peter’s questions for hours on end until they were both sure he could stand up to scrutiny.

But this was a fight unlike anything Scott had ever participated in before, and for once, it wasn’t about strength or stamina or sheer dedication. This game was played with words and turns of phrase, it was a carefully constructed argument designed to trap another person. It wasn’t a kind of game that Scott particularly enjoyed, and part of him desperately wished that either Stiles of Lydia were around to help.

But, it also needed to be convincing. Scott needed to make the jury see Theo the way _he_ saw Theo. He needed them to see the friend he’d known since childhood, the partner Theo was now, who was insistent about splitting cooking duties and preferred to push the shopping cart rather than grab the items from their shelves. Theo was always ready to put down whatever book he was reading to help Scott study, drilling himlate into the night before exams. And at night, there was a softness about Theo that no one else got to see, a part of him just for Scott and while Scott didn’t love the idea of sharing that, if that was what it took to show the Jury that Theo was human, he would.

Theo was running his fingers through the condensation on his water glass, his eyes still carefully away from the rest of them. Scott wanted to wrap Theo up and hide him away and tell him everything was going to be okay, but he couldn’t. There was no guarantee. Ari was good at his job, and they had prepared as best they could, but Scott couldn’t lie to Theo. He couldn’t make promises he couldn’t keep. 

Ari and Peter had been busy discussing something about Ari’s strategy. Scott had been too distracted by Theo to pay much attention until he heard Ari say, “Right, Scott?”

Scott looked up from his half-eaten food and blinked. “I’m sorry, what?”

Ari let out a small huff through his nose. “Both of you are acting like we’ve already lost this. We haven’t even begun the evidence phase.” 

Scott frowned and glanced at Theo, who hadn’t reacted. “It’s just a lot...I’ve never...done this before.” 

“It doesn’t get better with practice,” Theo murmured, finally looking up. “I just...don’t know who the jury believed on opening, you, or the prosecutor.” 

“They believed Ari,” Peter said, sitting back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest. “And if you’d been paying attention, you’d know that. For once in your life, Theo, instead of acting like some kind of broken child, maybe _use_ the skills that were _thrust upon you_. You’re far too capable to let a few harsh words defeat you.” 

Scott opened his mouth to tell Peter to back off, but it snapped shut as Theo pushed back from his chair, standing up. “You don’t even know me!” He snarled, glaring at Peter. 

“I know enough,” Peter grinned. Scott had a sneaking suspicion that somewhere along the way, Peter had started playing a game that none of them knew the rules to. Still, warm anger was better than the icy stillness Theo had been exuding so far. “Keep yourself together, frown when you’re supposed to be sad, maybe shed a few tears. But keep your eyes on the endgame. Self-fulfilling prophecy isn’t a good look.” 

Theo shook his head, eyes rolling. “Do you think this is what I want? Do you think I asked for _any_ of this?” 

Scott caught a faint glimpse of yellow and pushed to his own feet, grabbing Theo by his shoulders. “We’re going to go outside and cool off. Come get us when you’re ready to head back?” 

Ari nodded and Scott gently led Theo through the cafe out to the sidewalk. Theo was glaring over his shoulder back towards the door for a moment before he let out a huff of breath and rubbed his hands over his face.

“Are you okay?” Scott asked softly, one of his hands on Theo’s hip, the other on his shoulder. 

“I don’t know,” Theo said, his eyes bloodshot, his lips pressed into a thin line. “Maybe I should just go change my plea and go to jail. I … what the prosecutor said was _true,_ I did do that. I used sex to get what I want – fuck, even with you –”

“Hey, stop,” Scott said, squeezing Theo’s shoulder gently. “Stop. The past is the past, but with me? You didn’t use sex to get me, Theo. You got me all on your own.” Scott leaned in to press a kiss to Theo’s forehead. “And you did what you had to do to survive. Now, you just need to keep surviving for a while longer. They’re putting the officer on the stand first, and hopefully, Ari can get him to break. If not, I’ll go up. You’re so close to this being over. You can’t give up now.” 

Theo stared at Scott’s chest for a long few minutes, pulling in deep breaths of air. What felt like an eternity later, he looked up. “You really think Ari can pull this off?” Scott nodded, smiling softly. “I really do. You did too, yesterday.” Scott tugged Theo close, tucking his face into the curve of his neck and pressing his lips against Theo’s temple. “You’re not what she said you were. She made it seem simple and Theo, nothing about you is simple. You’re not an experiment anymore. You don’t have to be perfect. You just need to be yourself. We know the truth. We know what he did to you, we know what you’ve been through.” Scott stroked a hand up and down Theo’s back. “Just remember that.”

“The truth is, I’m a prostitute,” Theo grumbled against Scott’s skin. “And I’m beginning to think this whole thing has just been a waste of everyone’s time.”

“The truth is you’ve made some mistakes but not all mistakes need to be punished. And, I think, for some of them, no punishment a _court of law_ can give you is ever going to compare to what you’re already going through.”

Theo let out a long sigh, his body finally, finally sinking in to fit against Scott’s, the fight going out of him. Scott held him tightly, rocking gently. “I don’t deserve you,” Theo breathed.

“I get to decide what I deserve,” Scott replied softly, “And it doesn’t matter what I deserve. What I want is you.”

\--

“Mr. Bryant, on the night of April 28th, were you the officer on duty at San Francisco Police Department, Precinct 11?” The prosecuting attorney stood casually before the witness box, her shoulders relaxed, hands clasped in front of her body. Theo couldn’t look at the officer or the prosecutor any longer, so he watched the jury, Peter’s words ringing in the back of his mind. 

“I was.” The voice felt like acid sliding over Theo’s skin. 

“And, this evening, the defendant, Mr. Theo Raeken, was brought in after an arrest, correct?” 

“He was.” 

“Had you met the defendant before April 28th of this year?” The prosecutor turned, and walked to her desk even before he answered. This is so painfully rehearsed and Theo wondered if the jury can see that. Remembering Peter’s words, Theo turns towards the jury. Mostly, they are attentive, though he can sense unease in some of them. A dark part of his mind whispered _good_. This should make people feel uneasy. 

“I had. He’d been arrested before, when he was younger. Brought in on the same charge, prostitution.” 

Theo felt Ari stiffen beside him, but nothing showed on his face. The prosecutor smirked and carried the file folder towards the judge, heels clicking on the hardwood. “The prosecution submits exhibit #67903-1, the juvenile arrest record of Theo Raeken.” She turned back to the officer on the stand, “How many times had you been in contact with Mr. Raeken?” 

“Twice, I think. Maybe three times? Things always happened the same way so it blurs together.” 

“Can you tell the jury what you mean by, ‘things always happened the same way’ please?”

Theo’s stomach swooped and he gripped the edge of the table. Beside him, Ari nudged him with his elbow. He drew in a long deep breath and folded his hands on top of the table. This was the hard part. This was what he had to get through. He made the mistake of looking up, the officer’s eyes pinned on Theo and his face spread in his favorite shit-eating grin. Theo wanted to throw up.

“A lot of the prostitutes – sorry, _accused_ prostitutes – do the same thing. They come in and try and uh...buy their way out of jail.” 

“Can you explain what you mean, Mr. Bryant?”

“They offer sex, usually. Oral, more if they’re particularly feisty.”

“Have you ever accepted any of these offers, Mr. Bryant?” 

“Of course not, of course not.”

The prosecutor made a quiet sound of acknowledgement, and briefly, Theo wondered if she also knew that the statement was a lie. He certainly did. The memory of the taste of the officer in his mouth was a potent reminder, and Theo hastily reached for the bottle of water sat on the desk, hands shaking as he gripped it. 

“So, Mr. Bryant, can you describe for the jury what happened on the night of April 28th?” 

“Raeken was brought in, put in a holding cell. He offered me um… oral sex for me to release him. I denied it, of course. He asked for his phone call, so I took him out to the phone so he could make it. An hour and a half or so later, some other kid, maybe his pimp or some–”

“Objection.” Ari said in a calm, firm voice, standing up. “Speculation. Mr. Bryant has no knowledge of the relationship between my client and the man who bailed him out.”

The judge raised an eyebrow at Ari but turned back to the officer, “Sustained. Mr. Bryant, please stick to the facts.”

Bryant nodded and continued, “Some kid bailed him out, and then he left. Didn’t see him again til court.”

“So, to summarize, a young man arrested for prostitution offered to perform a sex act in exchange for his release, is that correct?”

Bryant nodded, “Just like he always did. Every time he got arrested, it was the same thing.” 

The prosecutor smirked and nodded, “Thank you, Mr. Bryant.” She turned to look at Ari and Theo. “Your witness.” 

Theo’s head spun, memories of all the times Bryant took sex that Theo had never offered rising to the surface. His eyes burned with unshed tears and his heart was beating frantically. Ari looked at him with dark, concerned eyes. “Breathe, Theo.” Ari murmured quietly, before pushing his chair away from the desk and standing up. 

Theo did as he was told, counting his breaths, counting his heartbeats. The _Truth._ Ari would make them see the truth and...if Ari couldn’t. Theo turned around to look at Scott, who gave him a smile made of sunshine that just managed to take the edge off the panic. If Ari couldn’t make them see the truth, his alpha would. 

“Mr. Bryant, for the record, you mentioned that my client has been arrested several times for prostitution. To your knowledge, has he ever been convicted of this crime?”

“I don’t know,” Bryant said. His tone had changed. Gone was the overconfident smirking voice and now he was wary of Ari. Good.

“He has not.” Ari said plainly. “Mr. Bryant, how many teenagers – minors and adults – would you say come through your precinct charged with prostitution on a weekly basis? A monthly?” 

“Monthly? Oh, hundreds. There’s an epidemic of it.” 

Ari nodded, “So, hundreds of teenagers cross through your precinct, and never in your, what is it, twenty years of service to the department, have you been tempted to accept one of their offers of a sex act in exchange for their freedom?” 

“Never. They’re just kids, they don’t even really know what they’re offering after all.”

“Have you ever forced yourself on one of these detainees, Mr. Bryant? Adult or minor?” 

Bryant’s eyebrows drew together. “No, of course not. I’d never.”

“And, on the night of April 28th, did you insinuate that perhaps, my client should remain incarcerated for the weekend?” 

“No, of course not.” Bryant’s eyes were wide even as the lie slipped through his mouth. 

“Objection,” the prosecutor called, “How is this line of question relevant?” 

“I’m getting there. I just want to establish Mr. Bryant’s timeline of events. There are a number of things missing from the version I’ve been told.” Ari smirked. “Last question, Mr. Bryant. On the night of April 28th, did you force my client to perform oral sex in exchange for the phone call he made?” 

Bryant sputtered, “No. I would never! I have never. I’m a good cop, you hear? I’m a good cop!”

Ari made a soft, noncommittal sound. “No further questions, your honor.” 

“Redirect?” The defense attorney said. 

“I’ll allow it.” The judge said, her face passive. 

“Mr. Bryant, in your twenty years of service, how many times have you been written up for conduct violations?” 

“Never!” Bryant answered, clearly shaken but sliding a smile onto his face. “Never.”

“Thank you, no further questions, your honor. The prosecution rests.” 

The judge nodded curtly, “We’ll take a brief, fifteen minute recess and then the defense can call their witness.” 

Theo sat back in his chair and tried to feel some kind of glee from the fact that Bryant had lied on the stand. He’d blatantly lied, about never accepting the sex bribes, about never forcing himself on anyone. He’d lied shamelessly, like he truly believed that nobody in the world would believe Theo’s story over his.

He was probably right. Theo was unremarkable, unbelievable and very much a teenage vagrant. But. Theo turned to look at Scott, who was half listening to whatever Peter was saying, and half-staring at Theo. Scott was _good_. He was a kind of painfully good that made Theo wonder what he’d done in his nineteen years of fucked up existence to deserve someone like him in it.

The smile on his lips was small, but it was genuine, and for the first time today, Theo felt what might have been hope. 

\--

“Please state your name and occupation for the record.” 

Scott swallows, glancing around the courtroom, his palms sweaty even as he forces his face into an easy smile. “Scott McCall. I’m a student at UC Davis.” 

“Thank you, Mr. McCall.” Ari gives him an encouraging nod. “Mr. McCall, how do you know the defendant, Mr. Raeken?”

“He’s my boyfriend.” Scott said, his chest thumping with pride. He glanced across the room to Theo, who had turned a mortified shade of pink. Publicly announcing their relationship hadn’t been in earlier versions of this. “How long have you known Mr. Raeken?” 

“Since the fourth grade.” Scott said, chewing on his bottom lip. “He lived in Beacon Hills. I don’t quite remember why he left, but I know it was...after his sister died. He came back to town a few years ago and we...reconnected.” 

It felt odd to simplify three years of widely varying emotions and events into a single word, but in this case, Scott was sure that the jury did _not_ need to know about the fact that Theo had killed him. Definitely unnecessary information. 

“And in the time you’ve known Theo, have you ever known his profession?” 

“No.”

“Has he ever told you what he did to make money?” 

“No.” 

Ari smiled, and then drew in a long breath. “Mr. McCall, on the night of April 28th, were you the person Mr. Raeken called from the 11th Precinct?” 

Scott nodded, “I was.” 

“The previous witness, Mr. Bryant, was he present at the precinct that night?” Ari asked, folding his arms over his chest and turning so he faced the jury, rather than Scott. Scott looked into the crowd and saw the officer in question slump down, his eyebrows drawn together.

“He was.” Scott said, careful to hold back the snarl that threatened to rip out of him. 

“And, while you were bailing Mr. Raeken out, did he say anything of note to you?” 

“He said that he thought it might be better if Theo spent the weekend in jail.” Scott said, trying to keep his tone even. This was easy in the quiet of Ari’s office, but here, in open court, facing down the man who’d _raped_ his boyfriend, it was much harder to keep himself contained. “He seemed disappointed that Theo was being bailed out.”

“Objection! Witness is speculating!”

“The witness is recounting his observations of the night.” Ari said, turning to the prosecutor with narrowed eyes. 

The judge raised an eyebrow. “Overruled. Mr. McCall, please do your best to refrain from embellishing the story.” 

Scott nodded, turning back to Ari and waiting for his next question. “And, can you describe for the jury how Mr. Raeken looked on the night in question?” 

Scott glanced at Theo who was looking away, hands clenched into tight fists on the desktop. “He was thin. Kind of pale. His mouth was bruised and red.” Scott remembered _vividly_ what Theo had looked like, remembered his bright, fake smile and then later, the sight of him crumpled on his bed as terrors Scott could only begin to guess about tore at his psyche. “He was quieter than normal too.” 

“Thank you, Mr. McCall. On the night in question, did Mr. Raeken tell you anything about what happened in the police station?”

“Not that night, no.” Scott said softly, glancing at the jury. 

“Can you explain what you mean? Did Mr. Raeken tell you anything about what happened?” 

“That night, he was...upset. He came to stay at my place and he seemed….fragile. He had nightmares all night, I barely slept. Um…” Scott glanced across to Theo, whose pale grey eyes were fixed on him now, shiny with unshed tears. “On Monday, when we were talking about things he told me that the officer on duty that night had um...forced him to perform oral sex.” Scott sat up straighter, dialing in his control, “He told me that he’d been raped in order to be able to call me.” 

Gasps and murmurs rung out across the courtroom. The prosecutor was hastily discussing something with her assistant, and the officer in question had sunk so far into his seat, Scott could barely see him past the people in front of him. 

“Did you believe him, Mr. McCall? Do you have any reason to believe Mr. Raeken would lie to you?” 

“No,” Scott said, honestly. “Theo doesn’t have any reason to lie to me.”

As their eyes met across the courtroom, Scott wondered silently if Theo believed him. 

\--

Theo sat back with his heart in his throat as the prosecutor stood to approach Scott. Scott had done so well, his answers were earnest and believable. But they were also the answers he’d rigorously practiced with Ari and Peter. This was the true test of their tactics. Theo’s hands were folded together so tightly that he was sure he would have bruised his hands if he was human.

“Mr. McCall, you told Counselor Jansen that you were previously unaware of Mr. Raeken’s employment. How long have the two of you been dating?” 

“Um, not long.” Scott’s cheeks colored. “It started after all of this.” 

“I see. So, you claim that Mr. Raeken had no reason to lie to you, but you weren’t dating at the time, and it does seem like you didn’t actually know all that much about him at all. So, how can you be so sure that he wasn’t lying?” 

Theo held his breath. 

“You don’t lie about these things.” Scott said, gently, looking towards the jury. “You can’t...fake nightmares. You can’t hide panic attacks if people know how to look for them. Theo was a mess, and it seemed like it wasn’t recent trauma either.” Theo watched as Scott glanced directly at Officer Bryant. “It seemed like maybe this wasn’t the first time this had happened to him.” 

The prosecutor’s face was set in a frown and she glanced back at her assistant who held up a helpless hand. “No further questions.”

Scott climbed out of the witness box and headed back to his seat, shooting Theo a small, comforting smile on the way. Nothing felt real right now. Theo was carefully counting his breaths, carefully metering the growing hope inside of him. 

Ari stood up with a grin. “Your honor, given the new evidence come to light, I’d like to petition for a dismissal of the charges against my client, unless the defense can produce further evidence of his guilt. I think it’s clear their witness may not have been fully truthful with the court.” 

The judge glared at the prosecution. “I agree. Case dismissed. Mr. Raeken, you have the state’s apologies.” 

Theo’s mouth dropped open and he let out a long, shuddering breath. Ari turned to him with a grin, squeezing his shoulder cordially. Scott had climbed the barrier to pull Theo into a tight hug. “Thank you.” Theo whispered against Scott’s shoulder, feeling tears slip from his eyes, grateful to have Scott to hide them in. “Thank you.”

“It was your story, Theo. You survived it. I just told them about it.” Scott’s hands were warm and soothing on Theo’s back. His scent was a barrier, keeping the memories and the panic at bay. Theo felt _safe_ in Scott’s arms, safe in the _world_ for the first time in longer than he could remember.

“Can we go home?” Theo asked, sounding small even to his own ears. “Please? I just..want to go home.” 

“Yeah, babe.” Scott kissed Theo’s temple. “Yeah, we can.” 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> last chapter!! Major shout out to Demonzdust who, as usual, hyped me up and beta'd this for me even on their own hiatus!!

“Caedsexual.” 

Theo blinked a few times and glanced over his shoulder at Scott. The alpha was still sitting up in bed beside him, alternating glances between a book in his lap and his phone. The light was on in the room, but they were winding down for sleep and Theo was...restless. Not quite tired yet, but not focused enough to actually do anything either. He knew why: it wasn’t a surprise that his body was confused at the prospect of being in bed at the very respectable time of 11PM. 

“What?” Theo asked, rolling over so he was flat on his back, his head tilted towards Scott.

“It’s a sexuality,” Scott answered, handing Theo his phone. “It’s a sexuality term that describes people who um...don’t experience sexual attraction because of trauma. It basically means that at one point you might have been allosexual – that’s people who _do_ experience sexual attraction – but it was taken from you, by the trauma. It might...explain why, whenever we do anything, you never really seem aroused.”

Theo’s eyebrows furrowed and he rolled up to a seat, scrolling through the webpage open on Scott’s phone. “This is...just a thing? You didn’t make this up?” He turned to Scott to hand the phone back.

“I’ve been a little too busy to take up web design, babe,” Scott winked. “No, Theo, I did not just make that up, It’s real. It’s a real thing that people other than just you have experienced.” Scott shrugged, locking his phone, “You don’t have to use that label if you don’t like it or think it fits you, and I’ll love you regardless of…” Scott’s voice faded out as he too realized the words that had slipped from his mouth.

Theo made a mental note that the next time he spoke with his therapist he needed to mention that the very concept that Scott McCall might be _in love_ with him terrified him. He turned away from Scott, his cheeks heating. “Bad phrasing?” he asked, weakly.

“Um. Bad timing? Correct phrasing.” 

When Theo turned back, Scott’s cheeks were also faintly flushed red, but his lips were curled into a genuine smile. Theo stared at him for several breaths. There was a part of him that wanted _so badly_ to just say the words back. He already felt unworthy, to have, of all things, Scott’s _love_. He treasured the knowledge, tucked it away alongside all the times Scott told Theo he was _going to be okay_ or that he _trusted him_. 

But he couldn’t. “Scott, I…” he hesitated, studying Scott closely, “I don’t trust myself enough yet to say that back to you. I’m not sure that I completely understand what that means, to love...to be loved…” He wanted to hide, wanted to run, wanted to be anywhere but where he was, having the conversation he was having. But, if there was one thing he was sure of, even after he questioned a million others, it was the fact that Scott wasn’t going to hurt him. Scott was not a threat.

“You deserve more than empty words from someone that has no idea what he’s saying or what it’s supposed to mean,” he continues. “When I say that back to you I…” Theo clenched his fists, frustrated that words were evading him. He looked away again.

He wanted _so badly_ to be able to give Scott a better answer.. Just like he wanted to recover from his past, just like he’d wanted to get through the trial. Theo wanted a great many things, and lacking his usual methods for obtaining them – you can’t buy mental stability with sex, you can’t exchange your body for love – he had to wait, to earn them other ways. 

It made him deeply uncomfortable. But, being uncomfortable meant this was real. This was happening in the real world, not somewhere in his head with ghosts and hands and pain. In flashbacks, he was too incoherent to recognize something as nebulous as discomfort. But, discomfort could be managed, could be tolerated, and damn it Theo was _trying_ to get better. “I want to be certain that I understand what it means,” he forced himself to finish.

“Hey,” Scott said softly, gently reaching for him. “Theo, that’s okay. Honestly, it is. I knew...I knew you probably wouldn’t be ready to say that back it just kinda...slipped out. I didn’t mean to put pressure on you to say anything, and I’m not going anywhere,” One of his hands covered Theo’s clenched fist. “I mean, like, I might have to go places – Stiles invited me to DC before the end of summer – but I’ll wait as long as you need me to.” 

Theo nodded, staring at the hand. He shifted his hand so he could bring the hand up to his mouth, to press a kiss against Scott’s knuckles. His brain wanted to scream: _you shouldn’t_. He wanted to tell Scott that this whole thing was a mistake and he deserved better. But, he’d said those words dozens of times and Scott’s response hadn’t changed. If Scott wanted Theo here, that was his decision, not Theo’s. 

So, against Scott’s knuckles, he softly whispered, “Okay.”

\--

The day after Scott told Theo that he loved him, Theo’s phone rang in the middle of the day. He’d been on his own laptop studying for the GED, sitting at Scott’s desk. Scott was in class, and would be for the next few hours. He stared at his phone for a few seconds before flipping it over to answer it. _Peter Hale_.

He frowned, but swiped. “What do you want?”

“Is that any way to greet someone who covered your legal fees?” 

“Did Ari even _charge_ you legal fees?” 

“The engagement ring wasn’t cheap.” There was a chuckle in Peter’s voice. “Where’s Scott?” 

Theo powered down his computer and crossed his free arm over his chest. “He’s in class. Why, what did you need?”

“Perfect.” Peter grinned. “I’m going to send you an address. Can you meet me there? I have a surprise for you?”

The concept of a surprise from _Peter Hale_ made Theo a different kind of uncomfortable than dealing with positive emotions did. This, he thought, might have been a hardwired evolutionary warning system. “What kind of surprise?” 

“If I told you what kind of surprise, it would ruin the surprise.” 

Theo glared at the desk and then sighed. “I’ll be there.” He hung up.

Scott sometimes treated Theo like he was still made of glass. In a lot of ways, Theo was fragile: therapy was slow going when he could even tolerate answering the questions. He still had nightmares more often than he’d like to, still sometimes spiraled into panic from the wrong touch by the wrong person.

He wasn’t working anymore, at least not on the street. Scott had promised that it would be okay, and even secured Peter’s promises for financial assistance should they need it. So, despite the fear, the doubt, the desire to be independent, Theo had stopped. 

And, he had to admit, it was a lot easier to manage his life without the threat of people he didn’t know touching him, without having to get on his knees in dark alleys and suck off total strangers. It was easier to keep the memories at bay, to push back the hands scraping at his subconscious, to stay rooted in the present. 

His phone chirped with the text from Peter. With a groan, and very sure he was about to make a terrible decision, he grabbed his keys and headed out of the apartment. 

\--

The address that Peter had sent Theo was to an abandoned gas station miles outside of town, a few miles off the highway and in the middle of literally nowhere. The late summer sun beat hot overhead, and there was dust in the air as Theo parked and climbed out of his truck. Peter, wearing all black with a pair of sunglasses down over his eyes, was lounging against the rear bumper of his ostentatious sports car. He grinned when he saw Theo.

“You took your time,” Peter noted, glancing at his watch.

“I’m trying _not_ to have any more interactions with the law for the foreseeable future,” Theo snarked back, rolling his eyes. “What did you drag me all the way out here for anyway?”

Peter’s grin slid into a small, dark smirk and he flipped his sunglasses onto the top of his head. “Y’know, I’m not a good man, Theo.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

Peter narrowed his eyes, shaking his head. “I think morality can be overrated, and I’m a big fan of fixing problems. In fact, fixing –”

“And causing.”

“– problems is really my speciality. And I know we won, and the court case was over. I know you told Ari that you didn’t want to press charges, but I just couldn’t quite accept that. And, conveniently, as I am not _human,_ I am not bound by human moral – or legal – codes.” 

Theo’s eyes widened and then he blinked several times. Faintly, now that he was listening for it, he could hear a muffled grunting from the trunk of Peter’s car. “Peter what did you do?”

Peter rolled his eyes and reached to open the trunk. “The better question, Theo, is what are _you_ going to do?”

In the trunk of Peter’s car, still dressed in his blue police uniform, hands and feet taped together and duct tape over his mouth, was officer Thomas Bryant. Theo’s heart rate skyrocketed for a moment when he saw the face, but he steadied himself, dragging in long breaths. This was _not_ the inside of a dingy police station. This time, it was not Theo bound and at the whims of this horrid man’s desires. 

“There are some crimes that should never go unpunished,” Peter said softly. His body language had changed. “What happens from here is up to you, Theo. You can kill him yourself, we can take the memories from his head and leave him little more than a breathing corpse, we can torture him. He’s your demon, not mine. I’m just the facilitator.”

The man’s eyes went wide and bulging, and he tried to say something that could not escape the duct tape. Theo stared at him, stared into those terrified eyes and tried to feel some sort of satisfaction at the role reversal.

He did not.

“I didn’t ask you to do this.” Theo said, tearing his eyes away from the man in the trunk to look at Peter. “I didn’t...I’m trying to _move on_ , Peter.” 

Peter shrugged. “I’ve personally found revenge to be a very useful mechanism to facilitate moving on.” 

Theo shook his head. “I won’t. I didn’t ask you to do this. _I don’t want this_.”

Peter raised both of his eyebrows in surprise. “Is this about Scott? Theo, If I’m not mistaken – and I rarely _am_ mistaken – Scott was just about ready to kill him _himself_. I really don’t think that he’s going to be mad at you killing the man that _raped_ you.”

“It’s not about Scott!” Theo stepped back, both of his hands in his hair, eyes darting between the trunk and Peter. “It’s about the fact that I am _done_ being that person. Would I let anyone, _anyone_ , hurt Scott? No, of course not. But this, this is just murder for murder’s sake.” 

“You’re not the only person he’s hurt, Theo. And there will be more.” 

“You can frame this however you want, it’s still murder. And what if they come after me? What if I end up going to prison for murder?”

Peter pursed his lips. “Theo, you’re a _chimera_. They don’t arrest humans for animal attacks.” He winked and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m surprised. The stories about you painted a very different, much bloodier picture.”

“I’m _not_ that person anymore.” Theo said, anger bleeding out of his voice. “I’m never going to be able to take back what I did, but this? This isn’t me anymore. And it’s not about Scott. It’s because I know that revenge _doesn’t_ make it go away. I killed the first monster who ever fucked me without asking, and he still haunts me. I know for a _fact_ that killing him won’t change anything.” Theo pointed at Bryant. “It just makes the ghosts real, instead of imaginary.”

Peter exhaled a resigned sigh and held up his hands. “Alright, alright fine.” He motioned to Theo’s truck. “Go, I’ll take care of this.”

Theo shook his head in disbelief and climbed into his truck, driving away as quickly as he could manage, intentionally avoiding the rearview mirror for as long as possible.

\--

A few days later, Theo having intentionally put the entire event at the gas station out of his mind, he and Scott were flipping through channels when a news alert flashed across the TV screen. Theo’s heart caught in his throat as he saw a familiar name. 

SAN FRANCISCO POLICE DEPARTMENT OFFICER THOMAS BRYANT FOUND DEAD IN UNEXPLAINED ANIMAL ATTACK.

Scott turned slowly to Theo, who stared back at him with wide eyes. “I swear it wasn’t me. He was alive when I left.” 

Scott blinked. “Bad phrasing?” His lips quirked up at the corners. 

Theo realized what he’d said. “No, correct phrasing.” The story rushed out then, about Peter and his surprise and Thomas Bryant in the trunk of his car.

He’d never told Scott about the first man to hurt him. He’d never told him about the mansion and the agreement with the Doctors and how Theo had first learned his body was a form of currency. He still doesn’t say those words. He isn’t sure that he ever will, but he did not hesitate to explain:

“I knew that killing him wouldn’t help. It didn’t help before. It doesn’t make anything better, it just…” Theo faltered, studying Scott’s neutral expression. “It’s just murder. And so I left. He was alive when I left. And I’m sorry I didn’t mention it, I was just trying to forget it happened at all.”

Scott nodded slowly, reaching out to take both of Theo’s shaking hands into his own. “You’re not responsible for what Peter does,” he said, a small smirk sliding onto his face. “And, Peter does have a point. If he hurt you, he probably hurt others, and he probably would have kept hurting people.”

Theo stared back at Scott. “I could have gone to court,” he whispered. 

“You didn’t have proof. Not really. My word got you off, but it isn’t the same as hard evidence. We looked up the statistics. They don’t send police officers to jail for this.” Scott stroked his thumb over the back of Theo’s hand. He chuckled. “I’m proud of you, though.”

Theo couldn’t help it. A nervous laugh burst out of his mouth. “Proud of me? I left a helpless man in _Peter Hale’s_ custody and now he’s dead.”

Scott glanced away for a minute and then looked back at Theo with a small smile, “You are not responsible for what Peter does,” he repeated. “I’m proud of you because _you_ didn’t kill him. I’m proud of you for walking away.” 

Theo stared at Scott with wide eyes, shaking his head still. Words escaped him. Scott’s pride, Scott’s love, Scott’s _trust_ were all heavy burdens Theo didn’t feel qualified to carry. Still, he settled in the discomfort of it all. He grounded himself in the hands that gripped his. And with a small, hopeful smile, he lunged forward to kiss him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap, folks!
> 
> God what a ride this has been. When I started Sunshine back for Sceo week, I had NO IDEA that it was going to spawn a whole 'nother fic that was going to be THIS long and this in depth. 
> 
> I truly, truly hope everyone enjoyed it. I'd LOVE to hear your thoughts on the story as a whole. 
> 
> Are we done in the _I could never give you peace_ verse? I don't know! For now, absolutely yes. Right now, I've sort of shifted (sort of shifted, as in, have almost 20 fics written) for another fandom. So I'll be hanging around in the The Untamed fandom, but I haven't left Teen Wolf entirely just yet. I've got too many friends here. 
> 
> Come see me on [Tumblr!](https://softangst.tumblr.com/) I'm happy to take ideas, to write you a drabble or a ficlet, to answer questions about my head canons for this verse!!
> 
> Thank you immensely for your support!!

**Author's Note:**

> As always, I love comments and reactions! What did you think?


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